


Crying Age

by gotaemin



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Fantasy, M/M, Magic, On AFF too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-22 21:03:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 58,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4850483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gotaemin/pseuds/gotaemin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the province of Rein, there were two kingdoms, Sweft and Waileia, both fighting to rule over the vast and rich land. Only the strongest men or the people born with magic were able to fight. The war had been on for centuries and neither side would give up. Finally, after two years of siege, the grand city of Lunarai was seized by Sweft. What happens when the ruthless chief commander of the Sweftan army, Kim Sunggyu, attempts to murder a normal Waileian citizen? What happens when the normal citizen is not so normal after all?</p><p> </p><p>WARNING:</p><p>There will be blood, death, and war with significant amounts of detail. If you do not wish to see Sunggyu, Woohyun, or any other Infinite member potentially killing someone, I suggest you click away now. There will NOT be smut, incredibly foul language, drugs, or alcohol featured in this rated M fic. Thank you for reading this before reading chapter 1.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our Battle Begins

Sunggyu dodged an oncoming spear and drew his sword. With a snap of his fingers, the blade lit up in flames. The knight spun on his heels and charged at Sunggyu again, unfazed at the glowing sword in front of him. Sunggyu smirked. The opposing knight's posture was wrong and his grip on the spear was weak. Along with that, the symbol on the man's left shoulder indicated that he was a wind elemental. Killing him would be a breeze.

 

Within two seconds, the tip of the spear reached Sunggyu's outstretched arm. The man was fast, Sunggyu had to give him that, but only because he had bothered to use his element in the face of death. A certain fire lit up in his soul, taking in his power and condensing it into his free hand. In a flurry of movement, the knight's head came clean off, blood oozing from his jugular vein before hardening into burnt crystals on the ground. 

 

Sunggyu lifted his sword and watched as the blood sizzled on his flaming blade. His smirk grew as the knight's decapitated body fell limp at his feet. The sound of war stung in his ears as his men clashed with the enemy. His heartbeat picked up as he heard charging footsteps coming in his direction, followed by the battle cries he's yearned for for the past six months. 

 

Without much time to think, Sunggyu turned around swiftly, using his momentum to slash the air, creating an arc of fire that flew in the direction of his new opponent. The knight went skidding backwards, feet digging into the loose dirt, keeping him upright. Sunggyu sprinted forward, holding his sword up to his cheek. The knight regained his composure and quickly lifted his mace into a defensive position. 

 

Suddenly, the knight looked past Sunggyu and gave a hint of a smirk. Sunggyu wavered and ended up going head to head with the man instead of tricking him like he had originally planned. Their weapons clashed and smoke rose. Only then did Sunggyu realize that the mace was covered in a thick sheet of water. He clicked his tongue and jumped back. He was becoming too careless.

 

Just then, a shout echoed behind him, tearing his gaze from his original enemy. Before he could move out of the way, a jolt of lightning struck his armor. Sunggyu's eyes widened and his mouth opened as the air left his lungs. He tried to move his sword, but his arm was paralyzed. And then it dawned on him. His whole body was paralyzed, frozen in place due to the electrical charge that zapped through his steel plated armor.

 

From what he could see, both enemies readied themselves to attack simultaneously. This couldn't be his end; the battle had only just begun. Sunggyu couldn't just die and leave his troops for dead, acting like savages without a leader. With a deep breath, Sunggyu closed his eyes, focusing hard on the flame within him. It hadn't failed him before, so why should it now? He let his mind fall into a zen-like state, losing all interest in the screams of terror, the clashing of blades, the two oncoming foes. The fire kindled brightly in his heart, growing hotter and larger by the second.

 

Sunggyu opened his eyes, feeling the heat consume his entire body. The two men were on him now, about to send him to the afterlife. He breathed out, breath feeling like fire on his lips. And then he ducked, their weapons missing his head by mere inches. Sunggyu kicked out one man's legs and stabbed him in the throat with his sword, flames torching the man's flesh in an instant. Sunggyu's eyes shifted to the second man.

 

He let go of the hilt of his sword and tightened his hands into fists. His arms grew hot, and soon, they burst into flames. The knight's eyes zoned in on the radiating heat of Sunggyu's hands, dropping his war hammer by accident. Sunggyu stood up from his kneeling position by the roasting body. With each step he took closer to the visibly shaking knight, he felt his energy drain significantly. Channeling this much magic took a great toll on his stamina. 

 

Sunggyu reached out, grabbing the man's arm. His armor began to melt almost instantly. The man shrieked as the molten iron hit his skin. He yanked his arm away with all the force he could muster, but Sunggyu was one step ahead. The knight screamed in agony as Sunggyu shoved his other hand onto his face, holding him in place. The flames burned the man's sensitive skin, creating pus and drawing blood. Sunggyu's vision began to fade and he released the man; his fire extinguishing almost instantly. It was unwise of him to use so much energy this early in the battle.

 

"Hey, Sunggyu!" A voice called from behind him. Sunggyu bent down to retrieve his sword as a tall man came running up to him. Sungyeol dropped his book of spells and pulled Sunggyu up gently despite being in the middle of a battlefield. "Why are you using so much magic? This isn't like you at all." He commented, his voice panicked. Sunggyu shook his head and looked out at the massive array of bodies, both living and deceased. 

 

"I got too ahead of myself. It's been months since my sword has tasted blood. I didn't think that through very well, that's all." He replied, snapping his fingers and lighting his blade on fire once again. Sungyeol sighed and swooped down to pick up his book.

 

"Yeah? Well, snap out of your blood thirst." Sungyeol said, rolling up the long sleeves of his robe, preparing to cast a spell. Sunggyu nodded before rejoining the fight. "And also," Sungyeol called after him, "stop chopping off their heads! It makes it harder for me to revive them with necromancy spells!"

 

Sunggyu could hardly care what the other yelled at him. He swept passed a couple of unsuspecting enemy knights, slicing them down with his sword. A giant rock came flying in his direction as he charged through the sea of people. He dodged it with ease and threw a ball of fire at the earth elemental knight. He didn't stop to see if he had hit because he most likely had. Sunggyu wasn't a chief commander for nothing.

 

He flew through the battlefield, killing off a few enemies that were overpowering his troops. The sun shined brightly that day, allowing most of the fire elemental knights to use their abilities better and more efficiently, which was why Sunggyu could regain most of his energy the longer the battle progressed. The sun was their source of power like the rain was for water elemental knights. 

 

After a grueling five hours of nothing but dodging and knocking enemies down, the last of the Waileian knights fell to the ground, void of life. The Sweftan army cheered, screaming their lungs out for their victory and sacrifices over the course of the battle. Sunggyu let out a sigh as his troops continued their barbaric shrieks of joy. His body was beyond tired, but he still had one more thing to do that day. Capture Waileia's most important city: Lunarai. 

 

Sungyeol somehow appeared at his side, clapping Sunggyu on the shoulder with raw hands. The large book of tomes he carried was stained with blood and dirt. He must have been fighting hard despite the sun, his weakness, blasting down on him all day. Today was a day when dark magic and water magic were at their weakest. Sungyeol could have easily stayed back at their camp instead of joining their battle, but he was a useful man to have around with all the knights dropping like flies, making it harder to move around freely. 

 

"You're alive." Sunggyu stated, almost reassured by the man's presence. Sungyeol frowned and shut his book with a thud. 

 

"And so are you, Mister I-didn't-think-that-through." He said mockingly. The sun was setting and Sungyeol's energy was coming back to him as the light faded behind the horizon. Sunggyu scoffed at marched forward, tucking his sword into its scabbard. He called to his troops to regroup at the entrance of Lunarai. The orders spread like wildfire, and soon, all the living Sweftan knights were heading towards the city in the distance.

 

The outer walls of the city remained unharmed by their battle, as none of the troops had made it that far into the Waileian territory without being chopped down. There was a large wooden gate that held the army at bay once they arrived. The sun had fully set and the only sources of light were from the fire elemental and the light elemental knights. Sunggyu made his way to the front of the crowd and stopped at the gate. Since he was the commander, no man dared to set the wooden gate ablaze without his orders. Sunggyu turned around, his red shoulder cape billowing in the soft breeze; its symbol of rank being lit by the condensed ball of fire in his hand.

 

"Today, we finally seize Lunarai, our greatest accomplishment in decades." Sunggyu shouted, rallying his tired and wounded troops. They cheered boisterously for a long minute before Sunggyu raised an arm, silencing them. "Now, since we have cut off Waileia's greatest food resource, we have gained the upper hand. We have sacrificed a lot to get to where we are standing right now, and I know the king is counting on us to bring Lunarai down, so what do you say? Shall we conquer and feast tonight?" He concluded, creating a chorus of excited screams once again.

 

"Then, let the conquering begin." Sunggyu smirked, placing his flaming hand on the gate. The wood caught fire, and within seconds, the entire gate lit up in a spectacular orange. "Let this moment serve as a reminder to the whole Waileian kingdom! Sweft deserves this land!" Sunggyu yelled as loud as he could over the raving knights. 

 

The wooden gate began to crumble in front of their eyes, falling piece by piece to the ground like shooting stars. Once the gate became nothing but hot cinders on the ground, Sunggyu drew his sword and raised it high into the air. An immediate charge broke out; men passed by him in a flurry of shadows, screaming their battle cries as they broke into the nearest houses in search of easy kills. Sunggyu stood his ground until the last of his men had ran into the city. 

 

Finally deciding to have some fun, he stepped over the remaining ashes of the gate and calmly walked down the main cobblestone pathway. Chaos surrounded him, but it was the sounds of victory. Even the screams of terror sounded like music to his ears as he sauntered passed a couple of women getting violently murdered. Sunggyu was high on adrenaline, his humanity long gone at the moment. 

 

The further back he went into the city, the darker it grew. Most of his troops were creating havoc in the front, leaving Sunggyu to have his fun without being interrupted. He drew his sword, the sound of the metal scraping against the scabbard echoed loudly in the dark streets. He took a couple of random turns, deciding to stray from the main pathway. The small houses lining the street began to look all the same to Sunggyu, so he continued to travel down the path, looking for a particular house that suited his tastes. If he was going to have fun, he might as well make the best out of it. 

 

After a couple of minutes, a certain house caught his attention. It was smaller than the rest on the block, and had an overall feeling of diversity. Sunggyu strolled up to the front door and gave a polite knock. When no one answered, like he had expected, he harshly kicked it open. The hinges screeched as they were dismantled from the wall. A horrified gasp filled the dim room. Sunggyu smirked and entered, knowing that someone was home.

 

He walked over to a candle on a nearby table, making sure to add his full weight to each step so the person in the house could hear wherever he went from their hiding spot. With a quick flick of his hand, the single flame blew out, allowing darkness to fully enclose the room. Sunggyu listened carefully as he made his way to a different section of the house. Another hitched breath lead him to a small and dingy kitchen. 

 

Sunggyu sighed as he spotted a man's thin figure huddled on the ground. It was too dark to see the man's face, but it didn't really matter to him. Even though he couldn't see much, Sunggyu could easily tell that the man on the ground was malnourished and too weak to fight back. Perhaps he should end his suffering once and for all.

 

"I can't promise that it will be painless, but I can promise that you won't get to live another day without enough food." Sunggyu said with playfulness in his tone. The man backed up until his back hit the cabinets, his eyes probably wide as he stared at his impending death. "Any last words?" Sunggyu asked as he lit his sword on fire, causing the man to gasp. When he said nothing, Sunggyu huffed.

 

"Okay, goodnight."

 

He couldn't comprehend what happened next. His blade shattered before his eyes as it struck a giant blue bubble. The hilt remained in his hand uselessly as Sunggyu's mouth dropped. Lunarai was a city run by commoners, and commoners didn't posses magic, so how did this pathetic twig of a man cast something like this? Sunggyu was stumped.

 

What kind of magic was this bubble? It couldn't have been water since it was strong enough to break his sword. He sucked in sharply. Was this man capable of using non-elemental magic? How could the Waileian king just let someone this powerful walk around starving in the midst of war? Another thought struck Sunggyu like a brick. What if this man didn't even know he possessed such power? He could use him to his advantage. 

 

Sunggyu tapped on the bubble to test his theory. It definitely wasn't water. With water, one could see through it, but this shield of magic was completely solid and all he could see was light blue. Suddenly, Sunggyu heard footsteps approaching. His troops must have wanted to explore the rest of the city. Sungyeol's voice called out for Sunggyu.

 

"In here!" He called back, ushering his comrade to the kitchen. Sungyeol appeared after a few seconds and had the same reaction as he did once his eyes landed on the large bubble. 

 

"What is that?" He asked, walking up to it and pocking it a few times.

 

"Be careful. It's strong enough to break swords. Who knows what else it can do." Sunggyu said, pulling Sungyeol back by the hood of his robe.

 

"Wait, is there a person in there?" He asked, his voice rising with each word. Sunggyu nodded and dropped the hilt of his sword onto the ground as proof. Sungyeol turned to look at the discarded hilt when suddenly the bubble disintegrated, leaving the unconscious man's body unprotected. Sungyeol blinked at Sunggyu, wondering what they were going to do.

 

"I say we kill him." Sungyeol grinned. "It would prevent the Waileian army from obtaining such an unusual power."

 

"But if we do that, then this power goes to waste. He's not an elemental; we could use him to our advantage." Sunggyu argued. Sungyeol frowned, but understood what the other was thinking. "Help me carry him. Oh, wait, he's really light." Sunggyu spoke in surprise. 

 

"We all gathered in the town square hall. We can take him there for the night and have someone keep watch over him if he tries to escape." Sungyeol said. It seemed like a good idea. The man must have fainted from overusing his power and wouldn't be awake for another few hours. Sunggyu hauled him up and threw him over his shoulder like a rag doll.

 

"The war suddenly got a lot more interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

Woohyun woke up with a start. His body felt heavy and his mind was clouded. His eyes traveled across a brightly lit room and realized he was in the town hall. Boisterous laughter filled the air and stung sharply in his ears, causing a migraine to form. Woohyun groaned and rolled over, How did he get here? Wasn't he at home?

 

And then something clicked in his brain. His eyes doubled in size as he watched the shadows on the walls with fear. He couldn't have been dreaming; the Sweftan army raided the city last night. Woohyun needed to run before anyone realized he was awake. He crawled his way to the nearest wall and hid behind a pole. Luckily, no one seemed to notice as he sneaked away, staying low to the ground and light on his heels. Just as he approached the door, a voice rang out behind him.

 

"Where do you think you're going?" A man asked, his voice cynical. Woohyun felt his heart freeze as footsteps echoed in the large corridor. He turned around slowly, losing sight of the peaceful town outside. Or perhaps it was dead, Woohyun being the only survivor of the raid. 

 

"Did you think you could escape the Sweftan army that easily?" The man asked, stopping a couple of feet away. Woohyun couldn't move; every muscle in his body seized to work under the man's fiery stare. He sat helplessly on the ground as the rest of the men, who Woohyun now saw were knights, crowded around him. 

 

If this was Woohyun's end, let it be quick. The man that had called out to him, who had a red shoulder cape that distinguished him from the other knights, stepped back, letting a particularly tall man draped in black cloth stand in his place. The hooded man bent down to Woohyun's height and he reached into his robe, stalling for a bit as Woohyun grew wary of him.

 

Suddenly, Woohyun could see the flash of a hilt in the morning sun, shining ever so magnificently in the man's grip. He began to back up on his hands, dreading the blade that followed. The hooded man tugged it out of his robe in one fluid movement and thrust it at Woohyun's face. He closed his eyes on instinct, preparing himself for the pain that would soon kill him.

 

A couple of seconds passed uneventful. Woohyun heard the crowd of men snicker above him. With caution, he opened one eye, and then the other, until both eyes were glued to sword in front of his face. But something was off; there was no blade, only a hilt and a few jagged pieces remaining. He blinked in confusion before looking to the hooded man, who had pulled his hood back enough to see the vibrant smile of amusement plastered on his lips.

 

"W-what?" Woohyun choked out as a few knights slapped him on the back, laughing their heads off. The hooded man dropped the bladeless sword and stood up, offering Woohyun his blistered hand. What was going on?

 

"Oh good, you can speak. Me and the commander were starting to think you were a mute." The man said, hoisting Woohyun up with surprisingly no effort. "I'm Sungyeol, the one and only dark magic user in the troop. Nice to officially meet you." Sungyeol grinned, shaking Woohyun's hand a little too vigorously. Was this his idea of a sick joke?

 

"You're not going to kill me?" Woohyun was dumbfounded. The men around him chuckled and Sungyeol's grin widened. 

 

"Kill you? After seeing the power you posses? Why, only I would do something like that." He laughed heartily. Woohyun felt his heartbeat flutter. 

 

"Power?" He asked. Woohyun didn't have power, he was just another commoner living off of what the land provided. He didn't have these fancy magical powers like the rest of these men, and to be honest, he didn't really need it. So what was this guy going on about?

 

"Yeah, your magic. It's a non elemental. We're keeping you alive to fight on our side." Sungyeol explained, releasing Woohyun's hand. "Now come feast with us, uh... what's your name?"

 

Woohyun couldn't believe his ears. This creepy man said that they're keeping him alive for his power? Even if he did have magic, why would Woohyun fight for the Sweftan army when his allegiance stood with Waileia? This commander of the army really thinks he could be useful to them? None of this made sense. 

 

"Nam Woohyun." He answered after a while of hesitation. Sungyeol seemed pleased and walked him to the banquet table they had set up. It was if he hadn't just spent the whole yesterday sending people to the afterlife. Woohyun frowned. Would this happen to him if he fought for them? Would he wake up the next day with a smile on his face like nothing happened? Just the thought sent shivers down his spine.

 

Woohyun plopped down on an empty seat and scanned the many dishes of delicious foods waiting for him. He gulped dryly; he hadn't eaten anything other than uncooked vegetables for days. All this food must have came from the storage house where the shipments to the main kingdom were locked away. Woohyun sat deathly still. If he ate this food, the food his city had worked their whole lives to create, would he be officially joining Sweft's army? Now that his entire home was either gone or destroyed beyond repair, what was there to lose? Woohyun felt his stomach rumble loud enough for Sungyeol to hear, as he was sitting next to him, urging him to eat. 

 

"If I join your army, will I get to see the Rein river?" Woohyun asked slowly, turning his attention to Sungyeol. The hooded man blinked at him in surprise. "If there is nothing left for me here, then I can't just stay until my body rots away." Woohyun explained his random outburst. He thought long and hard before parting his mouth to speak again.

 

"I'll join you if I'm able to see the Rein river." He said, sure of his decision. Sungyeol looked even more confused and surprised than before. Woohyun felt his resolve slip through his fingers when the other didn't speak. He thought back to what his late mother had said on her dying bed, starving herself in order to feed Woohyun's growing adolescent body.

 

"I've always wanted to see the giant river that connected Rein with Nier, our neighboring province." She had said, coughing heavily. "It is said to be the place where magic started. Our ancestors took the power from the water, and ever since then, our people were born with an element. If you ever get the chance, my son, go see the river for me." She whispered as her life began to fade. Woohyun closed his eyes, remembering her last wish like she had said it yesterday, but in reality, it had been over four years ago.

 

"I can't promise that we'll be able to see it, but if you come with us and train to become a knight, I can try to take you." A recognizable voice spoke from a seat far away from Woohyun's. He looked up and spotted the man with the cape looking straight at him. His eyes were piercing and captivating. Woohyun could tell he was the commander in an instant. 

 

"You could?" His voice rang out in the silenced hall. All the knights had seized their conversations as soon as the commander opened his mouth. The man stood up and walked over to Woohyun, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

 

"Only if you join us and stay loyal. If not, I kill you." The commander said in a calm voice. His words echoed in Woohyun's soul. He had no choice. If he was going to ever fulfill his mother's dying wish, he would have to obey. Woohyun looked the commander directly in his eyes with a newfound determination to live.

 

"I'll do it."

 

The commander smirked, placing an arm on Woohyun's shoulder. Woohyun gave a quick nod and turned back to the giant table of food. Without a second to spare, his hands grabbed for the nearest meats and began to stuff his mouth. The commander huffed and sat back down at his original seat.

 

"I have a quick question to ask you, Woohyun." Sungyeol said after a while, turning to face Woohyun completely. Woohyun looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows. From across the table, the commander sent a warning glare at Sungyeol, but he continued anyway.

 

"Do you remember anything that happened last night?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Last night?" Woohyun repeated, eyes darting around the room as he thought. What happened after the front gate set fire was a blur to him. After a prolonged pause, Woohyun shook his head. "All I can remember is that I was sitting at home reading when the gate burned down. The next thing I know, I'm lying on the floor of the town hall." 

 

There wasn't an immediate reaction from Sungyeol, so he continued to eat. The room began to fill with jeers and murmurs; Sungyeol looked to the commander, who had a dark aura enveloping him as he glared daggers at the poor dark mage.

 

"Well, Sunggyu found your house and was going t-"

 

"Sungyeol." The commander cut in, hand bursting into flames, as if to intimidate. Sungyeol shut his mouth in an instant. Woohyun watched as the commander, who he now knew was named Sunggyu, extinguished his flames in amazement. He had never been this close to a magic user before. The guards who were stationed in Lunarai from Waileia were always mean and enjoyed playing tricks on the townsfolk with their magic, so Woohyun made sure to stay as far as he could when they made their rounds. 

 

"You must be hungry, kid. Eat as much as you can." The commander said, changing the subject. Woohyun nodded, lips pursed into a thin line. The commander didn't look any older than he did, yet he used the word 'kid' to address him. Woohyun didn't say anything, afraid that it would cause the man to snap. He wasn't in any place to speak out; he was kidnapped and then forced to join their army. If anything happened to him before he could see the Rein river, Woohyun would never be able to face his mother in the afterlife.

 

The commander stood up and left the room peacefully, his red cape catching the wind as he marched out. Woohyun continued to eat, ignoring the other knights' gazes on him the entire time. Sungyeol chatted away next to him. It was strange that someone so energetic and aloof could be a ruthless dark mage. 

 

After an hour of eating and answering Sungyeol's mindless questions, Woohyun got up from his seat at the banquet table. His head had calmed down from its migraine, and he felt his depleted stamina return. Like he had expected once he stood up, Sungyeol followed in his suit. Woohyun had said he would join them, but someone would most likely keep an eye on him at all times. Accepting his fate, Woohyun began to walk to another room in the town hall.

 

"We found you by yourself last night. Do you have any family?" Sungyeol asked, probably unaware that his question would have hurt Woohyun if he did have family. Woohyun shook his head and looked to the polished tiles on the ground. 

 

"No, I've been alone for a couple of years." He stated. The laughter had subsided as they left the room, leaving the two in an eerie silence. Sungyeol nodded and pat the book in his hands as he walked, beating a simple rhythm on the hard leather cover. "Hey, what's that book for, anyway?" Woohyun asked after a while of silence. Sungyeol hummed in thought and lifted the book up into the air.

 

"It's for dark magic. See, dark magic isn't like the other elements, where you can just swipe your hand and water comes flying out. I mean, it's possible to shoot out shadow blades, but it's only effective to light magic. Dark magic has a whole gigantic spectrum of uses, like necromancy, for instance. For things as powerful as this, we need spells to cast them." He explained, waving his hands around as he spoke. Woohyun tried his best to understand the rules of magic. Since he didn't have any reason to learn about it as he grew up, he remained ignorant of the entire structure of the elements. Sungyeol seemed to catch on and took a step back in his explanation.

 

"All elements have their strengths and weaknesses. For instance, fire is strong against earth, but weak against water. In farming terms, which you would probably understand better, fire can burn down crops and trees, but can be put out with enough water." He said as they walked down a long corridor. Woohyun nodded in understanding before he continued. "Dark magic is a different sort of magic. It's still considered an element, but it doesn't have a weakness to anything. Of course, it is counterbalanced with light magic, but it's not necessarily weaker to it. Because there is so many ways to use it, I need a book to remember it all, which is why I have my trusted Sungjonggie." Sungyeol smiled brightly. 

 

"Who is Sungjonggie?" Woohyun asked, looking away from the book to Sungyeol's beaming face. The other man gave a laugh and opened his book to a random page, passing it over to Woohyun. He was confused, but took the book in his hands and read the only words on the pages.

 

*** Me, idiot. ***

 

"What? How is this possible?" Woohyun asked Sungyeol, stopping mid-step to stare incredulously at the book. Sungyeol shook his head and motioned for him to turn the page. Woohyun furrowed his eyebrows when he read the next line of words.

 

*** I'm Sungjong, Sungyeol's brother. I sealed my soul into this book. ***

 

"Wait, Sungjong is a person?" Woohyun nearly shouted, passing the book back to Sungyeol quickly. He couldn't wrap his mind around what he just witnessed. The book was communicating with him. It could hear what they were saying. There was someone's actual soul sealed in the book? Woohyun frantically stepped away, his eyes following the book as Sungyeol flipped through the pages. "H-how is that book doing that?"

 

"It's not just a book, Woohyun." Sungyeol said, tucking it under his sleeve. "It's my brother. See, I was going to explain it to you like I explained it to everyone else, but you actually looked interested." He said, taking a step in Woohyun's direction.

 

"You mean the others don't know about it?" Woohyun asked. He could feel his hands shaking as Sungyeol stopped in front of him, taking out the book again. A sad smile played on his face as his eyes scanned the cover. 

 

"I kept Sungjong a secret because I didn't want him taken from me a second time. There were originally two dark mages when our troop first set out, you know." Sungyeol said, his voice solemn for the first time. They began to walk again, slower than before. Woohyun could almost feel the pain in Sungyeol's voice as he spoke again.

 

"Sungjong was a scholar. He knew every dark magic spell out there and could recall which one to use at exactly the right time. I, on the other hand, could hardly keep up, despite me being the older of the two of us. I had to always carry around a book of spells." He gave a chuckle, remembering his past. Woohyun gazed straight ahead, unable to bear the looks of grief on Sungyeol's face as they walked. In the distance, a red cloth peaked out from behind a pillar, swaying gently in the breeze of an open window.

 

"One day, Sungjong was overpowered by Waileian knights. I got to him when he was taking his last breaths. I knew there was a spell to save him, so I tore open my book to find it. But, once again, Sungjong took the lead and whispered the spell to trap his soul into an inanimate object before I could." Sungyeol continued. Woohyun understood the rest.

 

"So he helps you in battle by giving you the correct spells when you need it." He guessed. Sungyeol nodded and let out a sigh.

 

"Sorry, I told you this out of the blue. You probably don't care."

 

"No, thank you for trusting me enough. I mean, we've only just met." Woohyun shook his head. "I lost someone important to me, too, so I know how it feels. At least Sungjong is still with you." 

 

Just as he had said that, they had come upon the red cloth. Sungyeol's smile returned and he thanked Woohyun for listening rather loudly. The cloth twitched before armor plated legs came into view. Sungyeol returned to his happy and carefree self as the commander slipped out of the pillar's way. Woohyun was stunned. Did Sungyeol announce his presence to him by purposely speaking up?

 

"Sungyeol." The commander greeted. His piercing eyes landed on Woohyun, causing the other to gulp. "We need to move out before reinforcement troops arrive from the south." He spoke, staring intensely into Woohyun's eyes. Something about his stare, despite it terrifying the hell out of him, made Woohyun feel secure, like the burning passion within them would protect him from harm. 

 

"I say we burn Lunarai to the ground before we leave." Sungyeol smirked mischievously. Woohyun's eyes grew wide at the thought and wanted to protest, but the commander's judging eyes prevented him from doing so. 

 

"It's a waste of a perfect hideout, but it seems we have no choice. Our troops are in no position to defend it from an entire legion of Waileian knights. We'll scavenge what we can and leave before sundown." The commander said before finally breaking eye contact with Woohyun. He walked away gracefully, leaving the two men standing in the middle of the bright hall.

 

Woohyun took a deep breath. This was it. His home would be sent up in flames and he couldn't do a thing to stop it. All his memories growing up would be lost in time, unable to be revisited. It felt like his whole being would figuratively perish in that fire. Perhaps it was best if it did.

~~~~~~~~~

The *** is what Sungjong is saying. I can't change the font on here so please bear with that.


	4. Chapter 4

The city burned a brilliant orange in the distance as Woohyun turned his back on his Waileian faith once and for all. The troop marched passed the battlefield and into the forest, where they had set up camp a few miles in. Before they left Lunarai, they raided each house for food and supplies. Woohyun led a few men to the city's stables, where dozens of horses waited patiently for their owners to return. Little did they know, the familiar faces they knew so well would never show up ever again. The wounded knights cheered when they learned that they wouldn't have to trek back to their camp on foot.

 

Woohyun gripped harder to the commander's armor as he thought of the thousands of deceased. There weren't enough horses to carry everyone, so the lucky knights doubled up. Some men, like Sungyeol, walked their way back, trailing behind the group of horses. Since the commander couldn't trust Woohyun to walk on his own just yet, he had ordered him to ride on his stead.

 

The ride was deathly silent as they entered the dark forest that seemed to freeze time. The commander's posture was straight and his chin was lifted, blocking Woohyun's view of the path in front of them. The harsh night wind rattled the trees, causing Woohyun to shiver. He had never left the city walls before, as the guards made sure that nothing other than food exited the gate. All of the farmland was located inside, so no one really had a reason to leave, either. Woohyun would often peek through the open gate as a cart would depart for the main kingdom. He was only a child then, and the outside world amazed him. He had once dreamed of seeing the forest up close, and now he was treading on stone covered ground underneath the ghostly canopy like it meant nothing to him, which it didn't in particular. But one step into the forest meant one step closer to seeing the Rein river.

 

"Hey, uh, Woohyun." Sungyeol called from behind the horse. Woohyun twisted on the saddle to look back. The mage ran up to him with difficulty; his robe kept getting in the way of his feet, causing him to stumble. "Here, hold my book for me." He smiled, handing Sungjong up to Woohyun, who carefully hauled it up into his lap. He looked at Sungyeol curiously, wondering why he would part from his brother, but the other had already disappeared into the shadows.

 

"Watch it." The commander warned when the book pressed against his back suddenly. Woohyun pulled Sungjong to his chest quickly, distancing himself from the irritable man. With a sigh, he opened the book, hoping to find the reason why Sungyeol left him in his care.

 

*** He's going to go visit my grave. I was buried around here. ***

 

Sungjong said, getting straight to the point. Woohyun nodded as he remembered what Sungyeol has told him back at the town hall. After a few seconds, he wondered if Sungjong could see his reaction. Would he have to speak in order for Sungjong to respond? He turned the page, but it was blank. Biting his lip, Woohyun lifted the book up to his face and murmured his response.

 

"Will he find his way back in the dark? Are you sure you're okay with not being with him?" He asked, breath ruffling the corner of the page. The commander turned his head to the side, but kept his eyes on the path. Woohyun froze, hoping he didn't hear what he had said. Sungjong was supposed to be kept a secret from everyone, especially from the commander. Sungyeol had stressed that before they set off, like he had planned to leave him in his care all along.

 

*** He's a dark mage, the night won't do anything but fuel his power, if that's what you’re thinking. The reason he left me with you is because the spell will break if I get too close to my actual body, causing me to, well, die. ***

 

Woohyun gasped a little. He didn't know magic could be reversed. Perhaps it was just with light and dark magic? He would have to research these things when he got the chance. If he was going to prove his loyalty to the Sweftan army, to Sunggyu, he would have to work hard to become a trustworthy knight. Plus, having a firm understanding of the world he lived in would benefit him as well, especially if he had magic, too, as Sungyeol once claimed he did.

 

"What are you doing, kid?" The commander asked, his voice agitated. Woohyun shut the book in an instant, afraid of him turning around and seeing what Sungjong had said to him. "And why did Sungyeol give you his book?"

 

"I thought he gave it to me because I'm with you." Woohyun fibbed, his heart racing in his chest. The commander thought for a moment before huffing, turning his attention back to controlling the horse.

 

The ride continued for another hour. Sungjong felt heavy in his arms, but Woohyun made sure it wouldn't touch the commander's back, in case it would be enough for him to be thrown off the horse as it weaved slowly through the trees. He didn't know how the leader of an army would react if he acted carelessly, and he didn't plan to find out anytime soon. Sungyeol never came back, either, causing Woohyun to worry unconsciously. It was a stretch to call them friends, but Sungyeol had been the one who opened up to him first; it felt like the right thing for Woohyun to do when he didn't return.

 

The troop entered a clearing in the forest, and the men all lit up with energy simultaneously as a couple of large tents came into view on the horizon. Even the commander seemed to relax as he kicked the stead, begging it to walk faster under his breath. Woohyun looked out from behind him and saw their camp ground. From what he could tell from everyone's behavior, this camp served as their home during the time they prepared to overtake Lunarai.

 

Before long, the commander had trotted the horse right up to a medium sized tent before sliding off, leaving the other behind. Woohyun stepped down from the tall animal with trouble, as both of his hands were needed to hold Sungjong. How did Sungyeol carry him under his arm all of the time? The book weighed at least ten pounds.

 

Woohyun successfully landed on the ground and looked around. The knights had all disappeared into the dozens of tents, leaving him standing in the dark, alone. Well, Sungjong was with him, but he couldn't do much. With nothing to do, Woohyun walked over to the horse's head and stroked its nose, thanking it for working hard. Just then, the commander emerged from his tent in a hurry, as if he had remembered Woohyun's existence only after he settled down.

 

"Follow me." He said dryly. Woohyun trailed along as the commander led him down the long row of smaller tents. The camp was set up in three sections. There was a large tent in the middle of the camp ground, which Woohyun realized was the mess hall, and a two sets of rows on either side of it, which were probably where all the troops slept. The commander probably called the medium tent he went into home, so Woohyun made a note to never go in there on accident.

 

"You'll be sleeping in here until we move to a different site. There is food in the big tent, but you have to go with a partner. If you try to escape, we have guards surrounding the perimeter of the clearing and will shoot you down with their magic on sight." The commander warned, eyes looking deep into Woohyun's. The camp had lit up with candles and torches, so he could see clearly just how stern the commander was.

 

"Okay..."

 

"Understood." The commander corrected his speech. "From now on, you will be training to become a knight. You will never address me without formality. Am I clear with myself?" He asked, arms crossing over his armored chest to show his superiority. Woohyun nodded quickly.

 

"Understood, sir." The words rolled out with awkwardness. It sounded strange to his ears, but the commander looked pleased and sauntered away without another word. Woohyun followed him with his eyes until he made it back to his tent, taking the horse and moving it out of view. With a sigh, he stepped into the tent and was greeted by another man.

 

"Oh, hello." Woohyun looked down to one of the beds in the tent. A man lay on his stomach, writing in something that looked like a diary. Before Woohyun could say anything, the man shut his book with a thud, and sat up, turning his attention to the newcomer.

 

"Hello, I guess I'm your new roommate. I'm Woohyun." He greeted, walking in to sit on the vacant bed. It was hard and uncomfortable, but it wasn't much different from the his bed in Lunarai. The man slung his legs off of the bed and rested his arms, well, arm, on his thighs. Woohyun couldn't keep his eyes off of the man's missing arm. It was like a void, and he kept getting sucked in. The man noticed, but didn't seem to mind, as if he had gone a long time without it that curious stares couldn't affect him anymore.

 

"I'm Dongwoo." He spoke after a few seconds of silence. "It's nice to officially meet you."

 

Woohyun nodded and offered a smile. Dongwoo must have crowded around with the other knights to see him awake earlier that morning. Just thinking back to the morning made Woohyun realize how long and eventful the day had been. His body felt lethargic and all he wanted to do was sleep. Dongwoo seemed to notice, and gave a chuckle.

 

"Go to sleep, you must be exhausted." He said, motioning for Woohyun to lie down. Dongwoo looked older than most of the knights in the troop, but not by much. Even so, he seemed to have this air about him, wise and thoughtful. Woohyun yawned as his head dropped onto the pillow, which was soft with cotton.

 

"I'll wake you up in the morning before training. I don't know how much help I'll be in the magic department, but I can show you the ropes when it comes to swords." Dongwoo said, blowing out the only candle that illuminated the tent. Woohyun nodded before drifting off into a restless sleep. He dreamed of nothing, but his mind was clouded with the orange and red hues of fire, causing him to stir awake periodically.

 

Woohyun was soon shaken to consciousness by a gentle hand. He opened his sleep-filled eyes and sat up reluctantly, pulling Sungjong into his arms. Dongwoo helped him out of bed and they walked out into the dawn of the new day. Woohyun felt somewhat serene as he felt the chill of the morning air hit his face. From inside his tattered shoes, he could feel the dew drops in the grass soak into sole. The camp ground was surrounded by a light fog that seeped out from the tall trees, giving him a breathtaking view of the place he would call home for the time being.

 

"Your training starts today. After breakfast, we'll fit you into some armor." Dongwoo stated, walking next to Woohyun as they made their way to the mess tent. Woohyun liked Dongwoo; he acted like Woohyun was one of them, and not someone they picked out of Lunarai because of his so called power.

 

"Understood." Woohyun said, trying to get used to responding like that. Dongwoo laughed at his determined expression.

 

"You don't have to put yourself on a lower rank when you're with me. Sunggyu is the only one you should be worried about. Oh, and don't call him Sunggyu to his face; only people he's close with can get away with that." He said, smiling. Woohyun nodded and looked down at the heavy book in his hands. Sungyeol hadn't come back for him yet.

 

"Hey, isn't that that mage's book? Why do you have it? I've never seen his part with it before." Dongwoo asked, following Woohyun's gaze.

 

"Oh, this? He gave it to me as we were walking back from Lunarai before he ran off somewhere." Woohyun answered as vaguely as he could. Dongwoo let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

"I know where he went, all of the knights do. We were close to where someone important to him was, so he went to go say hello." Dongwoo explained, ignorant to the fact that Woohyun knew exactly where Sungyeol had run off to and for what reason. By the way he had phrased it, it seemed like Dongwoo didn't want Woohyun to know about Sungjong, which was understandable.

 

In the mess tent, a scream erupted as soon as Woohyun stepped inside with Sungjong in his arms. A dark cloak jumped up from a table in the middle of the room and darted towards the two men at the front. Dongwoo laughed.

 

"Speaking of the devil." He managed to say before Sungyeol attacked Woohyun. In a flurry of cloth and limbs, Sungjong was swiped out of his grip and safely placed onto Sungyeol's chest. Woohyun was stunned, frozen into place.

 

"Thanks for taking care of my spell book, Woohyun. It means a lot to me." Sungyeol beamed a bright smile as he flipped through the pages like he was checking if Woohyun ripped out anything. It was more of an act for Dongwoo, who stood by Woohyun's side, watching in amusement. Once Sungyeol looked satisfied, he shut the book and tucked it under his arm. "See you in training." He waved to both men before skipping off back to his spot in the sea of tables.

 

The two remaining men looked at each other before shrugging and finding seats at a nearby table. A lot of men were in the tent, gorging themselves on the food they have brought from Lunarai, but a lot of the tables were empty. Woohyun shivered at the thought of the room being filled to the brim of men just a little before they went out to conquer the city. Even if it had once been that way, everyone acted like it was normal, as if they were used to people dying left and right.

 

After breakfast, Dongwoo led a stuffed Woohyun out to a tent in the back of the camp, where it radiated heat and dark smoke rose from a stone chimney. Woohyun guessed it was the makeshift forge that they had set up as they camped here. Once they entered, Woohyun gasped.

 

There were hundreds of swords, shields, axes, hammers, and spears lining the walls of the tent. On a nearby table, an array of sword hilts lay scattered along its worn surface. Woohyun recognized one in particular. It was made out of gold, and had remaining shards of a blade attached to it loosely. It was the same one Sungyeol showed him yesterday; the one they claimed broke because of his power.

 

"Sir." Dongwoo said from next to him. Woohyun looked up, his gaze meeting the commander's. He involuntarily straightened his posture as he approached. Dongwoo moved out of the way for the man to pass as he exited the tent. Woohyun felt his heart stop when the commander passed him, eyes glued to each other. The last thing out of the tent was the red cape, which pulled Woohyun back to reality once it completely disappeared from sight.

 

Dongwoo looked at him with an unreadable expression. Woohyun turned his attention back to the uncomfortably humid room. Next to the forge stood a man wearing a steel sheet apron. He was burly from all the intense pounding and shaping he had to do in order to create strong weapons. Dongwoo returned to a smile when he met eyes with the man, who gave a hint of a grin back.

 

"Hey, Howon." Dongwoo greeted the man. "We need to get this little guy some armor." He said, patting Woohyun on the shoulder. Woohyun scoffed, he wasn't little, just not as big and muscular as the rest of the knights. Howon scanned Woohyun up and down before nodding.

 

"Steel or iron?" He asked, turning his back to grab a few silver ingots of the two metals. Woohyun had no clue what to say, so Dongwoo explained the differences to him.

 

"Steel is more vulnerable to magic attacks, but more durable and shock resistant if you were to be hit by a sword or warhammer. Iron is weaker than steel, and you would be more able to feel the impact of a weapon, but it protects you from most magic." He said, giving a short description of both. Woohyun understood clearly what they meant, but he didn't know which one would suit him better.

 

"Word traveled fast when they said you had a non elemental power. Sunggyu said it was stronger than any shield he's ever seen, so maybe we should go with iron. If you can use your power to deflect weapons, all you need to worry about is being hit by other magic users." Howon said, using his expertise to reason out the use of steel. Dongwoo nodded along, seeing how it would fit Woohyun if that were the case.

 

"All right, I'll measure you now, and if I work diligently enough, the plates should be done by tomorrow." Howon continued, making up his mind for Woohyun. He added wood to the fire before tossing in a ball of fire he had conjured in the palm of his hand. Dongwoo gently pushed Woohyun further into the tent, as they were both standing right at the entrance. Once he got close enough, Howon reached out and shook his hand with a grin.

 

"Welcome to the team."


	5. Chapter 5

"For the first lesson, I'll teach you about swords and basic combat." Dongwoo said, pacing in front of Woohyun in the spacious field next to the camp. Since he was his roommate, the commander asked Dongwoo to tutor Woohyun before he could officially join the actual training, which required one-to-one sparring knowledge.

 

"This," Dongwoo said, drawing a sword from the scabbard in his hand, "is made out of sacredite." He passed it over for Woohyun to examine. It was a jet black blade that sparkled elegantly under the sun. Woohyun had heard of this highly sought for mineral. Waileia's ore town, Aryllia, would often send their shipments of the said mineral to Lunarai before they continued on to the main kingdom, using it as a pit stop for the caravans. 

 

"It's stronger than regular iron and glass weapons, but weaker than ebony and moonstone. What makes it so special is the magical properties within the purified ore. It can withstand magic cast from humans, hence why it is a well-known choice of material for weapons." Dongwoo explained, pulling the heavy sword out of Woohyun's grip with ease.

 

"Since it doesn't break when in contact with magic, many elemental knights cast their magic on it. Sacredite is hard to find in the Sweftan regions, so only the high ranking men use it."

 

Woohyun nodded and shifted his feet on the grass. "Does the commander use sacredite weapons?" He asked. Dongwoo raised an eyebrow at him.

 

"You still can't recall what happened that night, can you? If you did, then you would know the answer to your own question." He said. When Woohyun shook his head, clueless, he sighed. "Perhaps it's better if you can't."

 

Woohyun felt left out of something important. It was if the entire troop knew what happened to him on that night, but all he could remember was waking up to the hard floor of the town hall. Dongwoo paused his pacing and turned to Woohyun. They stayed eerily quiet for a long moment. The elder looked seconds away from telling Woohyun everything, but alas, he kept his mouth glued shut.

 

"Can you show me how the sacredite works with magic on it, then?" Woohyun asked, changing the topic for Dongwoo's sake. He didn't want to get his roommate in trouble for anything; he had already offered to assist Woohyun as he adjusted to his new life, and Woohyun couldn't bear the thought of Dongwoo facing punishment because of him. Perhaps he was right, perhaps it was better if he didn't remember what happened.

 

"Oh, actually, I can't use magic." Dongwoo laughed. He stabbed the sword into the soft soil and wiggled his fingers. Woohyun watched in amusement as Dongwoo threw punches at the humid air that stuck to them like sap, pretending to conjure gales of wind from his single fist.

 

"Most of my family were born with light magic, but I was born the unlucky one." He said after calming down and pulling the sword back up. Woohyun nodded as he remembered that not all knights had magic. But if Dongwoo was drafted into the war, then he must have been an incredible fighter, despite having one arm.

 

"Really? Maybe we could go ask Howon to show us." Woohyun mused out loud. He wanted to see what he was dealing with before he was faced with it on the battlefield. That is, if he made it to the battlefield. Dongwoo pondered it for a mere two seconds before disagreeing.

 

"He's busy with your armor." He said simply, tilting his head. Woohyun huffed and looked up. He felt his pulse jump-start as his eyes met with the commander's as he emerged from the crowd of knights out scrimmaging. 

 

"Speaking about magic, how about we test out yours." Dongwoo suggested, straying from the training they were supposedly trying to do. "I'm not sure if non elemental magic will work on sacredite, so why don't we find out? I swear we'll learn sword combat techniques right after this." He said with a hint of excitement, averting Woohyun's attention away from the armor clad man in the distance, who had caught his gaze.

 

"Hm..." He mumbled, repeating Dongwoo's statement in his mind numbly. "How do you cast magic?" Woohyun asked, realizing that he didn't know how to bring his power out. That is, if he had a power like they kept claiming he did. Woohyun felt nothing different about himself since he joined the Sweftan army; he had gone all 22 years of his life thinking that he didn't have magic, so the idea of being a non elemental magic user was something he just couldn't believe. 

 

"I think you have to focus hard and feel your magic materialize. That's what my sister told me once." Dongwoo thought back to his youth days, visibly relaxing as he remembered his family. Woohyun took his advice and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing. He strained to conjure - or even feel - any strange forces within his body, but found none.

 

"Nothing?" Dongwoo asked after a moment of silence. Woohyun shook his head weakly before trying again, this time keeping his eyes on the sword in Dongwoo's hand. After a long minute of pushing his mind to cast, well, whatever he thought he could cast, through the vague descriptions Sungyeol had offered him during the ride back to camp, he sighed and rubbed his eyes.

 

"Nothing." He frowned, realizing it was a waste of time. Suddenly, the commander appeared at Dongwoo's side. Wordlessly, he took the sacredite sword from the man's limp hand and snapped. Woohyun gasped as a flame no bigger than one burning on a wick lit up above his fingers. He pressed it onto the sword gently, the blade catching fire instantly.

 

"Do you want to see how powerful your non elemental magic is compared to this sword?" He asked, his voice sharp and sly. Woohyun nodded slowly, captivated by his presence. A smirk formed on his lips as he lifted the sword up to his cheek, gripping the hilt in such a way that a shadow cascaded down his long face, resting deeply on his prominent jaw. Woohyun's heart dropped to his stomach as he noticed the commander stepping forward with utter confidence. He looked to Dongwoo for reassurance, but received none. Gulpping involuntarily, the only thing Woohyun could do was wait. 

 

Sunggyu wouldn't harm him, would he?

 

In a flash, the sword shattered into millions of shards as it came into contact with a force ten times stronger than any element. The once powerful blade that could withstand magic, there, on the ground like a broken mirror reflecting the sky. Woohyun fell to the grass with a thud, his face struck with sheer horror. A blue panel of magic had covered his weak and unsuspecting body from the flaming blade's strike, acting as a floating shield. 

 

Woohyun felt his stress level rise as his energy plummeting. Before he could comprehend his power, it vanished into the heat of the afternoon air.

 

"What was that?" Woohyun shouted, dragging himself away from the stoic commander, who tossed the broken hilt to his feet. 

 

"Your power." He said blankly. Woohyun let his mouth drop as he stared at the space the blue shield had appeared at. The commander turned and whispered something to Dongwoo before walking off like nothing happened. Dongwoo seemed confused and called after him.

 

"Why do you want me to test that on him?" He yelled, but received a careless wave of the commander's hand as a response. Woohyun closed his mouth, biting his tongue in the process. He winced and Dongwoo glanced down at him as he whined. 

 

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Dongwoo asked, pulling Woohyun to his feet. Woohyun, stepping carefully on the grass so he wouldn't cut his feet on the blade shards, nodded.

 

"How did he get me to let out my power so easily? I mean, I couldn't force it out on my own, but he got it out of me on his first try." Woohyun said, a tad upset that he wasn't able to use his power on his own. Dongwoo scratched his head, ruffling his long dark hair.

 

"Well, Sunggyu thinks it has something to do with fear. I don't know how much I can tell you, but he has a theory about your power that I'm supposed to test." He said before bending down to pick up the hilt of the sword. Woohyun watched for a while as the older man picked up the pieces of the blade that shimmered through the weeds.

 

"Hey, can you go get Myungsoo? He'll make this faster. Wouldn't want to have sharp objects just lying around while we train, so it's better to be thorough." Dongwoo instructed, shooing Woohyun away in search of a man named Myungsoo. As he walked to the mess tent, Sungyeol jumped into his path, making him shriek in surprise. 

 

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be training with that one armed guy?" Sungyeol asked from inside his raised hood. The sun was shining bright that day, so Sungyeol, being a dark mage, was probably hiding from its rays. Woohyun clutched his thumping heart and glared at Sungyeol.

 

"I'm looking for Myungsoo. Dongwoo wanted him to help pick up the broken sword for some reason." He explained before marching off with no particular destination. Sungyeol caught his arm and pulled him back. Woohyun sent him a look.

 

"I was going to see Myungsoo, too. I know where he is, follow me." Sungyeol smiled, ignoring Woohyun's annoyed gaze. The two began walking towards a nearby tent, chatting lightly.

 

"So how is training going? When are you gonna ask me to show you magic skills, huh?" Sungyeol asked, elbowing Woohyun gently. Sungjong swayed in Sungyeol's arms, matching the rhythm of their footsteps.

 

"We haven't done much, yet. Dongwoo explained a little about sacredite, but then we got distracted." Woohyun shrugged. "And, if I wanted help with magic, I'd ask Sungjong."

 

They reached the small tent and Sungyeol ran in, leaving Woohyun to trail behind him slowly. Just before he stepped into the clothed doorway, Sungyeol's body came flying out with a strong gust of wind. He landed backwards on the ground with a groan, lying deathly still with his limbs strewn everywhere. Woohyun's eyes widened as he looked at Sungyeol and then back to the tent. Maybe Myungsoo wasn't the person Dongwoo had asked for?

 

"Go away, Sungyeol, or I'll make you." A dark voice shouted from inside. Woohyun gulped as a man emerged, stepping up to Sungyeol's body and giving it a strong kick. Because of a gasp, the man turned to Woohyun and stood up straighter, assessing him with his sharp eyes.

 

"Who are you?" He asked. No, rather, demanded. Woohyun rubbed his arms as he felt goosebumps form under Myungsoo's stare.

 

"Woohyun." He said, shrinking in his spot.

 

"What do you want, Woohyun?" Myungsoo asked. The way he spat Woohyun's name made a chill run down his spine. Sungyeol sat up at that moment and wiped the dirt off of Sungjong's cover.

 

"The one armed guy says he needs you to help him. He sent Woohyun to fetch you." He said, distracted by Sungjong. Myungsoo's judging glare wavered and he turned to Sungyeol in a haste.

 

"What's wrong with Dongwoo? Is he hurt? What happened?" He asked quickly, looking from the man on the ground to Woohyun, then back to Sungyeol. His whole demeanor changed completely at the mentioning of Dongwoo; Woohyun was surprised to see how worried Myungsoo was over the man's safety.

 

"He needs you for something. Don't worry, he's fine." Woohyun stated, feeling like he could talk to this side of Myungsoo. The other seemed to relax once he knew Dongwoo was okay. Without another word, the two men began to walk back to the training field, where Dongwoo sat picking up the shards. Woohyun looked back when they reached the first batch of knights on the field. Sungyeol was still sitting on the ground pathetically as he cleaned Sungjong.

 

"Dongwoo!" Myungsoo shouted as they neared the kneeling man. Dongwoo looked up with a warm smile as Myungsoo briskly walked over. Woohyun watched as the once intimidating man turned into a fawning mother, triple checking with Dongwoo if he was all right. What was their relationship? Woohyun couldn't help but wonder. The way he had acted with Sungyeol was completely different with the way he acted around the older man. 

 

"I need you to pick up the broken sword for me. I can't see all of the pieces." Dongwoo said, standing up with Myungsoo's help. He agreed and asked both men to stand back. Woohyun moved back and stood next to Dongwoo, curious as to why they needed Myungsoo to clean it up. With a wave of his slender fingers, a whirlwind of chilly air swept passed Woohyun and circled around Myungsoo's body. It was hard to see at first, but the gust of wind had traveled down to the ground with the subtle instructions of Myungsoo's hands.

 

Like fairy dust, glimmering blade shards rose from the ground, hovering in the air idly as Myungsoo waited for directions. Dongwoo told him to place them in Howon's tent, where he could eventually use the sacredite for other weapons. Sacredite was a mineral they could not afford to waste. Myungsoo nodded and obeyed, taking his dazzling wind with him as he walked to the forge. 

 

"Sorry that all of this happened. I need to go and grab more swords so we can begin training." Dongwoo apologized, bowing his head slightly as he ran off, leaving Woohyun in the middle of the large field, mesmerized by the power of wind magic. It was elegant and caring while simultaneously being ravenous and extravagant. Myungsoo, from what he had seen, fitted that description perfectly. It was if he had been destined to be born with the wind element.

 

Before long, Dongwoo returned with two swords; one in his hand and one balancing on his arm. Woohyun mentally slapped himself. He should have helped Dongwoo get the swords instead of just standing there uselessly. When he got close enough, Woohyun jogged over and plucked the sword off of Dongwoo's arm. It was heavier than expected, and Woohyun briefly wonder how he had managed to balance it the whole way. They returned to their empty spot on the field and Dongwoo smiled sheepishly.

 

"Okay, training officially starts now."


	6. Chapter 6

Woohyun dropped his iron sword to the ground in defeat. Sweat rolled down from his forehead and ran along his cheeks before settling at the base of his chin. Dongwoo flashed a grin at his slouched body and stabbed his sword into the dirt next to him. They had been training nonstop since Myungsoo had left, which had been six hours ago, and Woohyun was exhausted. 

 

"Let's call it a day, then." Dongwoo chirped, not even breathing hard from thrashing this weapon around all day. He had taught Woohyun how to hold his sword correctly with different defensive and melee stances, showed him where to aim on a human target, and they even scrimmaged for a bit. Woohyun was reluctant to learn how to cut passed armor, as he hadn't actually thought he would be killing anyone if he joined the army, but Dongwoo had reassured him that he most likely wouldn't be doing any killing for a long time.

 

"Thank you. Will we be training tomorrow, as well?" Woohyun asked, straightening his back and picking up his sword. Dongwoo shook his head simply.

 

"No, I think Sunggyu wanted you to practice using your magic." He said, thinking back to earlier that day when the commander cut into their training. Woohyun, despite his reluctance, had fun learning from Dongwoo; he joked around a lot, as if they weren't preparing him for war, and was a good teacher when it came down to it. He wouldn't say standing in the hot sun with a ten pound broadsword was his idea of fun, but it was a lot better than tending to dying crops everyday as he himself was slowly starving to death. Somewhere in his mind, Woohyun wished he could always spend his training days with Dongwoo.

 

"I'll put these away and then we can go eat dinner." Dongwoo said, taking his sword back into his grip. Woohyun made sure he didn't let Dongwoo take his sword.

 

"I can carry my own, but thank you for offering. We'll go together." He said, trying to cover the fact that he was worried about the absence of Dongwoo's arm. The elder laughed and turned his body to the camp.

 

"All right, then." 

 

The two began to walk off the training field and back to the rows of small tents. There were so many of them, it was amazing that Dongwoo knew exactly which one to go to. This Sweftan troop must have lived on these grounds for a long time. 

 

"Why does he think my power is connected with fear? The commander, I mean." Woohyun asked as they neared one particular tent with a wooden flagpole next to it. Dongwoo shrugged and twirled the sword around in the air, causing Woohyun to sidestep each time it flew in his direction. 

 

"I'm not sure, but I know he'll want to test it tomorrow."

 

"I don't think it is, to be honest." Woohyun stated, earning Dongwoo's attention. "Whenever you charged at me as we practiced, I got scared, but nothing happened." He continued. Dongwoo thought for a moment, holding his sword stiff in his hands.

 

"Maybe you aren't scared of me? Even if I do come at you with a sword, you know I wouldn't actually hurt you. But Sunggyu is a different story, I guess." He offered a logical answer as they entered the tent. Woohyun sighed, why wasn't he normal? Why did his power have to be different? He slid his sword onto a weapon rack that Dongwoo led him to. The tent was dark on the inside, but the setting sun peeked in through the opening, reflecting its orange hues on the dozens of training weapons resting on the wooden racks.

 

The walk to the mess tent was silent between the two. All of the knights out training for the day had returned to their tents or were already eating dinner. Dongwoo seemed deep in thought ever since they had left the training weapon tent. If it wasn't for Woohyun tapping him on his shoulder once they arrived, he would have walked right passed the mess tent. He couldn't blame him, though, as Woohyun was just as confused and intrigued by his power and how it worked. The inside of the mess tent was filled with rambunctious chatter. Dongwoo snapped out of his daze and blinked, probably wondering how he got there. Woohyun smiled a little at the man as he caught his gaze.

 

"Shall we?" Dongwoo asked, motioning to a line formed by a few knights on one side of the covered area. Woohyun felt glad that Dongwoo returned to his usual cheery self; he didn't want to cause stress to others. 

 

"Yeah." He agreed, starting to notice his growling stomach's plea for food. They waited in the line as the knights in front got served three options of food. Since they had taken out Lunarai, which had probably been their only food source, the troop had begun to cut down on meals. Woohyun didn't know the exact number of troops, but it was around 400 or 500, including himself. As they moved to the front, a grumpy voice called out for Dongwoo.

 

"Hey, Howon. Decided to take a break from the forge, did you?" Dongwoo smiled playfully. Woohyun looked up at Howon, who stood behind a table with a permanent frown. He was in plain clothes and adorned a butcher's apron, which looked exactly like his foraging apron, but less metallic.

 

"Don't even start. Cooking is harder than it looks, okay? I nearly charred my eyebrows off when I added some pig grease to the pan." Howon grumbled, passing a plate of meat to the knight he was serving. Woohyun watched in amusement as the two bickered.

 

"Hey, you." Howon turned to Woohyun, surprising him. "Choose to be a knight on the battlefield, not one who stays at camp. Do you understand?" He warned, looking exasperated. Woohyun nodded despite not fully understanding. Weren't all the troops ones who fought on the battlefield? He'd have to ask Dongwoo later.

 

"Leave him be. He learned how to use a sword in record time. Once he figures out how to use his magic, I'm sure he'll be anywhere but at camp." Dongwoo slapped Woohyun's back harshly by accident. Howon huffed and eyed Woohyun with a hint of curiosity in his gaze. He didn't say anything, but the feeling Woohyun was getting felt as if he was saying, 'you're that tough, huh?' to him. 

 

"So, what will it be? Chicken, stag, or a whole lot of vegetables?" Howon asked the two men. Dongwoo immediately went for the chicken, but Woohyun had to ponder for a moment. In Lunarai, chicken and vegetables were common dinners, even for someone as poor as himself. Stag, however, was foreign to him, so Woohyun ask for it bravely.

 

Before long, they were seated in the sea of tables. Woohyun stared down at his plate of unrecognizable burnt meat. Ordering it was a mistake. Dongwoo's chicken was pleasing to the eye with its deep golden outside and tender white inside. He looked back to his own meal and sighed. Howon should never be allowed into the makeshift kitchen ever again. Woohyun's stomach moaned loudly through his ragged shirt. He had no choice but to dig in.

 

With an uncertain fork, he jabbed at the hunk of meat, which gave an audible squish. The meat tore easily, revealing a blood red inside that look uncooked despite the burnt crust encasing it. With nothing to lose, Woohyun took a hesitant bite. His eyes widened as the taste spread through his mouth. It was surprisingly delicious. The tender meat melted between his teeth as he chewed, the spices overcame his senses like wildfire, and the thin slice slid down his throat with oddly satisfying ease, leaving him hungry for more.

 

Dongwoo spoke with the other knights at the table as Woohyun wolfed down his meal. Stag was something he was sure to order the next time it came onto the menu. A sudden mentioning of his name caused his fork to slow to a halt. He looked up at the knight across from him who Dongwoo had been speaking with. He recognized him immediately.

 

“Oh, hello. Myungsoo, right?” Woohyun greeted. Myungsoo nodded and shifted his bored gaze back to Dongwoo, who had turned his attention to the nearly untouched chicken on his plate. He must have been too immersed in chatting that he forgot to eat. Realizing that Dongwoo must have been introducing Woohyun to Myungsoo, Woohyun reached over the table to shake hands with the dark man in front of him, who looked as if he would do anything other than shake his hand.

 

“You broke that sword, right?” Myungsoo asked, ignoring Woohyun’s outstretched hand. “Dongwoo said it was because Sunggyu swung it at you and your power came out. Is it true that it only works when you’re scared?” He continued to probe Woohyun for answers. Woohyun shifted his gaze over to Dongwoo, who had a innocent smile playing on his face. 

 

“Well, we were thinking it had something to do with fear, but it seems like I only fear Sunggyu.” Woohyun answered honestly. He didn’t know why he did, but Myungsoo’s hard stare was getting to him. The man smirked and reached for something under the table. Woohyun could see the mischievous glint in his eyes and gulped. A gust of wind ruffled their hair as it condensed into Myungsoo’s open palm.

 

“Really? Why don’t we test that.”

 

Before Woohyun could think, Myungsoo pulled a metal dagger out from under the table and pressed the wind to the blade. In a second, the dagger lunged for Woohyun’s throat, ready to draw blood with the extra kick of wind magic. Woohyun closed his eyes and raised his arms on instinct, banging them hard on the edge of the table as he did so. Dongwoo had no time to react and merely dropped his fork in shock. Just like earlier that day, Woohyun could feel his energy deplete significantly, but this time, he opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of his power. 

 

A light blue panel of a force he couldn’t explain stood in front of him, guarding his body from the blade. Myungsoo’s fist had collided with it soon after his dagger shattered into pieces, cutting up his knuckles on contact. The wind magic that had been casted on the blade had dispersed in one current that blew across the tent, earning everyone’s undivided stare and attention. As the seconds passed, Woohyun felt his heart calm down from the adrenaline rush and he let out a breath. The blue shield vanished into the air, revealing Myungsoo’s dumbfounded expression.

 

“Who did that?” Howon yelled from the serving station at the front, along with many other anxious voices. Woohyun blinked and let his arms drop to his lap in a daze. So that’s what his power was. A shield of some sort that could break any weapon, but cause no harm to humans? Myungsoo fell back onto his seat, examining his bloody and bruising hand. Other than the small cuts from the shattered blade, his hand was perfectly functional, like it didn’t just punch non elemental magic.

 

Dozens of knights surrounded them with flabbergasted faces, each trying to nudge their way to the front in order to see the broken dagger scattered over the surface of the table and the culprits of the mess. Woohyun didn’t know what to do, and neither did Dongwoo nor Myungsoo, so they sat there as more knights gathered around.

 

“Nam Woohyun. Kim Myungsoo.” An enraged voice spoke from behind Dongwoo, loud enough to be heard over the bustling knights. The trio looked up in horror as none other than the commander stood glaring at them with the darkest and most vicious eyes Woohyun had ever seen. 

 

“Come with me.”


	7. Chapter 7

The commander marched back and forth in the tent he had brought Myungsoo and Woohyun to. It was the same tent he had led his horse to on the night they had returned to camp. Woohyun noticed a long table in the middle of the room with maps of Waileia's territory, along with small red markers placed in random locations. He couldn't see much, and he didn't really think about it, because the commander had all of his attention. Myungsoo stood absolutely still as they waited for something to happen. The commander continued to pace in front of the two with his gaze fixed onto the floor.

 

Suddenly, he turned on his heels and faced Woohyun, lighting a small flame in his hand. Woohyun eyed the flame with caution. By now, he knew that the commander wasn't someone who threw empty threats out to scare his enemies, or, in this case, his allies. If he bothered to use his magic, then Woohyun was almost certain he would do something with it. From the corner of his eye, he could see Myungsoo inching away as stealthily as he could. His face was dark and frozen in fear, as if he had been a victim to the commander once before.

 

"Kim Myungsoo," The commander started, still staring at Woohyun, making his heart beat faster, "how many times do I have to punish you for attacking someone?" He asked. Woohyun slipped his gaze from the fire that was steadily burning, to Myungsoo, who had a look of surprise that he was being addressed.

 

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." He said quickly, bowing his head deeply. The commander sighed and shifted on his feet, his armor groaning with each movement. Woohyun stepped back as the commander's hand waved passed his chest as he walked towards Myungsoo, the flame getting dangerously close to his shirt. 

 

"This better be the last time, or else you won't get away with just a burn." The commander said, causing Woohyun to gasp. What did he mean by just a burn? Myungsoo's eyebrows knitted together as he lifted the fabric of his long sleeved shirt, revealing a long line of red patches of skin that trailed down his forearm. The commander, without showing even the slightest emotion, took Myungsoo's arm into his grip and brought the flame up to untouched skin. Woohyun felt his entire body begin to tremble as he watched in horror as Myungsoo closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

 

"Stop, please!" Woohyun nearly shouted, reaching out to pull the commander's hand away from Myungsoo's pale arm. The flame had barely licked his fresh skin when it was ripped away with as much force as Woohyun could muster in a flash of a second. The commander's eyes went wide as his whole body turned, losing his grip on Myungsoo. The tent fell into a deafening silence.

 

"Don't hurt him, please." Woohyun said, his voice shaking and hoarse. He was beyond scared, but he couldn't stand by and watch as a man was tortured. Even though he didn't know Myungsoo well, he was Dongwoo's friend, and Woohyun felt the need to protect him from harm when the older man wasn't around. The commander gaped at him for a long time, processing what had happened. Before he could come back to his senses, Woohyun let go of his arm, which he had been holding with a death grip. The flame that once rested in the commander's palm had seized, leaving nothing but a thin line of smoke that dissipated into the still air.

 

"Then how would he learn not to disobey the rules?" The commander asked, genuinely curious. Woohyun could see him waiting for an answer, but he couldn't think of anything to say. His heart was racing in his ears and the possibility of getting burned himself loomed in his mind, preventing him from coming up with a solution. Myungsoo exhaled deeply and pushed his sleeve back down, hiding the scars.

 

"I..." Woohyun started hesitantly. The commander must have noticed his delay in answering and fixed his expression, reverting back to his usual stoic self. He straightened his posture, using his height to his advantage, and glowered at the two men. Before Woohyun could continue, the commander turned his back on them and walked to the table, his cape catching air and billowing majestically in his wake. 

 

"Leave." He ordered, his voice troubled yet stern. Neither Myungsoo nor Woohyun moved a muscle. The commander paused for a moment before slamming his fists onto the hard wooden surface, making Woohyun jump involuntarily. That was all they needed for Myungsoo to snatch Woohyun's by his shirt and drag him out of the tent.

 

"What were you thinking?" Myungsoo yelled at him once they got far enough away from the commander's tent. He let go of his shirt and slowed their pace to a stop. Woohyun sighed as his pulse calmed down. 

 

"I don't know. I saw him about to burn you and I had to do something." Woohyun answered truthfully. He swallowed the lump in his throat as Myungsoo let out a cynical laugh. 

 

"Well don't do it again. He could have done much worse to me since I attempted to kill our secret weapon. I'm expendable, you're not. I don't know if that's what drove you to stop him, but I think you got us into deeper trouble.”

 

"I wasn't thinking of the consequences. I'm sorry." Woohyun said, lowering his head. The sun had dipped behind the horizon and the trees surrounding the camp casted long shadows onto the tents, covering Woohyun's shamed expression. Myungsoo scoffed, but placed a hand on his slouched back.

 

"Thank you. Sungyeol would probably try and get Sungjong to murder Sunggyu in cold blood if he found another burn on me." Myungsoo admitted, giving Woohyun a pat. He looked into the dark purple sky and watched the clouds roll by, covering the first stars. Woohyun followed his gaze up and captured the full moon in his eyes. It took his breath away from its pure white beauty, relaxing his tense body from the event moments earlier. 

 

He couldn't help but think about what he could have done. Myungsoo would have to be extremely careful now that he got away without his punishment. Woohyun also didn't receive any punishment, which was a relief, but could also result into something worse than an inch of burned skin. If he really was the Sweftan army's secret weapon, what would the commander do to punish him? Or was he safe from anything other than a severe reprimanding?

 

"Hey, look, I'm sorry that I attacked you. It's my fault that this happened." Myungsoo sighed after a prolonged pause. Woohyun shook his head quickly. He didn't know how to respond to that, since it had been his fault, but he didn't want him to take all of the blame. Myungsoo was a good man when he wasn't glaring daggers at people. Dongwoo obviously trusted him, so why shouldn't Woohyun try to be friendly towards him?

 

Myungsoo began walking back to his tent. Woohyun trailed along, not wanting to get lost in the darkening night. The mess tent was brightly lit from the inside and illuminated their path as they crossed the camp. The two men remained quiet as they strolled along. Woohyun felt pleasant as the sound of their feet shuffling in the grass reached his ears. By the time they made it to Woohyun's tent, which was a few stops ahead of Myungsoo's, dusk had passed and the frosty night fog had set in, seeping out from the forest like ghosts. They exchanged simple waves before Woohyun slipped in and met with Dongwoo's worried face.

 

"Hey." Woohyun greeted before plopping down on his bed. He was completely wiped out from the long day of training and hadn’t noticed until now. Dongwoo, who had been sitting on the edge of his bed, stood up and went over to Woohyun, who really didn't feel like talking anymore. Sleepiness had set in and he could hardly open his eyes. Everything had happened so fast that day, it wasn't a surprise that Woohyun was drained.

 

"Did he burn you?" Dongwoo asked hesitantly, reaching for Woohyun's overturned arms. When he didn't pull away, Dongwoo continued and gently examined both arms before stepping back, confused.

 

"I told him to stop, so he threw us out of the tent, instead." Woohyun mumbled, snuggling into his pillow. Dongwoo became silent and the heavy atmosphere lifted. He shuffled back to his bed and rolled onto the hard mattress. 

 

"He let you off the hook... That's a first. Well, I guess you hit Sunggyu's weak spot." He said, mostly to himself. Woohyun had barely caught the last part as he drifted out of consciousness. The commander had a weak spot? Unbelieveable. 

 

Early the next morning, Dongwoo shook Woohyun awake. His entire body stung with pain, but Dongwoo laughed it off as beginner’s muscles. Woohyun learned that muscles tear in order to get stronger after intense work, which is why he could hardly stand up without crying. As he had said during yesterday’s training, Dongwoo showed Woohyun to the magic tent, which was a medium sized structure about half the area of the mess tent, and held all sorts of elemental knights already practicing their techniques. After the quick preview of what Woohyun would be doing that day, they went to go have breakfast. Dongwoo wouldn’t be accompanying Woohyun around the camp for the rest of the day, so he had offered to show the way to the magic tent as one last trip together.

 

The mess tent was full with knights, but most of them were leaving by the time the two men arrived. They caught sight of Myungsoo and Sungyeol sitting at a far table, so the walked over. Sungyeol was fussing over Myungsoo like no tomorrow when they sat down across from them. Myungsoo sighed in annoyance and sought Woohyun for help.

 

“Hello, Sungyeol.” Woohyun smiled, greeting his friend, if he dared call him that. Sungyeol turned to him with wide eyes.

 

“Are you safe, too? Sunggyu didn’t burn you?” He asked in a hurry, accidentally bumping his elbow on Sungjong, who sat on the table idly. Woohyun shook his head and Sungyeol beamed a smile. Dongwoo smiled in relief, too, glad that Myungsoo hadn’t been hurt, either. They chatted for a while about what happened last night, leaving no detail out about how Woohyun grabbed the commander’s arm in order to stop him. It was pure luck that he didn’t snap on them, which formed a question in Woohyun’s mind.

 

“Does he burn everyone when they disobey the rules? Is there something else that he does if it’s worse?” Woohyun couldn’t help but ask. The commander’s punishment was a little extreme, and he wondered if it was only for huge mistakes like using your magic to attack someone else. He couldn’t imagine there being a worse punishment than that, but he had to ask. Dongwoo shifted in his seat and Myungsoo tensed up suddenly. Sungyeol inhaled sharply before hiding his face in Sungjong’s pages. Woohyun looked around and felt a tinge of regret as everyone pretended to be occupied with something else.

 

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” He asked, feeling awkward. Dongwoo was the first to return to normal and gave a short smile. From across the table, Sungyeol mumbled something under his breath, probably talking to Sungjong as secretly as he could. Woohyun wrung his hands as Dongwoo turned to his untouched food and began eating like nothing had changed. When he looked over to Myungsoo, he held his breath. Myungsoo was glaring holes into him like he had just committed the worst crime in the province of Rein, and kept his mouth in a thin line as if telling Woohyun to stop talking.

 

“I’ll explain another time, so for now, eat.” Dongwoo said, tapping his breakfast with his fork. Sungyeol closed Sungjong and also returned to eating. Woohyun couldn’t shake off the tension between them, but agreed to let the topic drop. The rest of the meal went by slowly and painfully awkward. No one wanted to speak after what just happened, so when Woohyun was done, he excused himself from the group in a hurry.

 

The outside air was warm and muggy and stuck to Woohyun’s skin. Even though it was uncomfortable, he felt the awkwardness float away. He recognized that he had said something wrong and wanted to apologize, but it was probably best to give the three time to forget about it. With that, Woohyun found his way to the magic tent again. Inside, there were more knights practicing, most likely trying to get out of the muggy air. Woohyun walked in and looked around, amazed at all the different elements being casted at once.

 

Wait, who would teach him how to use his magic? Sungyeol wanted to, but he probably wouldn’t want to after breakfast. Dongwoo hadn’t told him who he was going to train with, either. Woohyun huffed and continued to look around. He walked around the tent and watched as a group of water elemental knights conjured globs of floating water before sending them forward to strike a wooden target. From the far end of the tent, Woohyun could see earth elementals raising rocks from the ground and swirling them high above their heads. It was the first time he had seen so much action all at once, that he didn’t realize someone was standing behind him.

 

“Kid.” The man said, causing Woohyun to gasp and turn around, nearly bumping heads with the man behind him. Woohyun stepped back and met eyes with the commander. “You’re training with me.”


	8. Chapter 8

"You need to harness the magic from your entire being. Feel it in your soul and flowing through all of your veins." The commander instructed calmly. Woohyun sighed and tried again, closing his eyes and focusing hard on feeling any sort of power at all. Who knew that conjuring magic would be so poetic and profound? He could hardly keep his attention on his heart, much less soul, with the strict gaze of the commander piercing him. Woohyun couldn't see his sharp eyes on him, but he could feel it from the slight trembles running up his spine that he always got whenever the commander was watching him.

 

Suddenly, he felt something hot near his cheek. Woohyun popped one eye open and nearly choked on his spit. The commander held a finger with a small flame right up to his face, so close that it began to burn the tip of his fringe. Woohyun quickly stepped back with a gasp, covering his face from any possible movements from the commander.

 

"Interesting." The commander said, retracting his hand. Woohyun relaxed and tried to calm his nerves.

 

"What do you mean?" Woohyun asked. The commander gave him a look as he moved closer. "What do you mean, sir?" Woohyun corrected, tapping his fingers on his thigh nervously. It felt weird to add titles to his speech, as he had never used honorifics when he was living in Waileia. The commander tucked his arms behind his back and breathed out, tilting his head to the side.

 

"I thought you would bring out your power when you got scared, but I guess that's not the case." He said thoughtfully. Woohyun remembered what he and Dongwoo discussed the other day and ruffled his hair slightly.

 

"Well, I think it only comes out when I'm in a dangerous situation." He said softly. The commander gazed at him with curiosity, urging him to continue with a raise of his eyebrow. Woohyun straightened up awkwardly and looked away from the man in front of him, who was causing his heart to speed up with nervousness. "Fire is dangerous, I know, but it's not life threatening. I think my shield magic, if that's what it even is, only comes out when I'm sure I will get severely hurt."

 

"That could be a possibility..." The commander mused out loud, nodding slowly. His eyes narrowed when they met with Woohyun's. "I won't test this right now, but I will be sure to watch carefully from now on." He said before walking passed Woohyun. Turning around, Woohyun saw him saunter towards a wooden target and light his hand on fire, a thin line of smoke rising as he waited for Woohyun to walk over as well. The target was a crude humanoid cutout of wood that adorned nothing but a dented helmet. The commander shifted to the side and once again told him to focus on his inner power. 

 

"If it didn't work when we were standing over there, then how could it work over here?" Woohyun asked, shutting his eyes. The commander sighed audibly from beside him. 

 

"That doesn't matter. Imagine that the target is a knight that's right about to strike you with a battle ax." 

 

Woohyun let out a low grunt and did what he was told. A second passed, and then another. He opened his eyes and looked at the commander hopelessly. How could he be scared of something that wasn't real? He couldn't feel any unusual power in his heart or soul, much less feel the need to use it. 

 

"Focus." The commander ordered firmly, lifting the fire in his hand up to Woohyun's face. In an instant, his eyes flew shut again as his pulse echoed in his ears. This feeling wasn't fear, but it was something very similar. He pursed his lips and frowned deeply, forehead creasing in concentration. The commander kept his burning fingers held up to Woohyun's neck, causing beads of sweat to roll down from his chin from its heat. 

 

"He's a fire elemental knight with the Waileian mark of superiority on his armor. He's ruthless, clever, and ready to slam your skull in with his battle ax, Woohyun. Protect yourself." The commander's voice came as a dull whisper, mixing with the aggravating heartbeat that pumped loudly in Woohyun's head. He felt a sudden jolt of strength and clenched his fists, biting his bottom lip as a wave of purity flooded his veins. It was if the target really was a ruthless Waileian knight coming to off him and he needed to defend himself.

 

"Woohyun." The commander said calmly, although Woohyun could catch a sense of urgency in his low mumble. With a deep breath, he tightened his fists until his knuckles turned white and concentrated harder. He didn't know why, but it became increasingly difficult to stand upright.

 

"Woohyun, look." The commander said, brushing Woohyun's tense shoulder with his hand that no longer held a wavering flame. Woohyun peaked open through one eye after a few seconds, still transferring his energy into his power, and realized he had formed a large blue shield that curved towards his body, almost fully enclosing Sunggyu and himself. In shock, his other eye opened and went wide, eyebrows raising as high as they could reach. He brought his power out on his own will for the first time, Woohyun couldn't believe it.

 

"Stop using your power." The commander whispered as he examined the nearly transparent shield closely. Woohyun bit his bottom lip as his knees began to shake, but continued to hold his power for as long as he could, reaching a trembling hand out to touch the firm force. The commander sent him a warning look. "Kid, stop."

 

"This is the first time I actually conjured my non elemental magic without nearly dying and you want me to stop?" Woohyun asked, dumbfounded as to why the commander wasn't impressed with his feat. Suddenly, it became hard to breathe and his legs gave out, sending him crashing to the ground as the blue shield dissipated into the air without so much as a warning. The commander's quick reflexes activated just in time to catch Woohyun's overheating body before his head came in contact with the dead grass and mud-soaked floor. 

 

"Because inexperienced magic users overexert themselves until they learn how to control their power. You, Nam Woohyun, despite being a non elemental that could possibly have a stronger magical capability than half of the Sweftan army combined, are like a child who has yet to learn the basics of wielding their element." The commander's voice was stern and not at all surprised nor worried for Woohyun's current health. Woohyun felt as if he were in a dream-like state. His vision was clouded and the commander's death grip on his body was practically nonexistent; he didn't even feel the commander's hot breath tickling his neck as he spoke at their close proximity. He had been caught with strong arms at his back and waist and was dangling inches off of the dirt.

 

"Get up or lay down. I can't hold you forever." The commander said gruffly, dropping Woohyun's hovering body onto the ground carelessly, knocking the air out of him. And by that, Woohyun snapped out of his dazed state of exhaustion and began coughing wildly from the impact on his spine. The commander straightened up and adjusted his cape that had been thrown over his shoulder by the momentum of his actions.

 

"How will you be training me, then? If my power isn't like anything else, how will you know what to do?" Woohyun choked out in between gulps of air, sitting up and crossing his legs. The commander didn't look at him for a long time, allowing Woohyun to catch his breath and gather enough energy to hoist himself off of the ground. Upon closer inspection, Woohyun noticed that the commander was in deep thought, probably finding the words to his answer.

 

"Since I know you can use your power as you please, we should focus on the other important aspects that remain unknown to us." He said after a drawn out sigh. Woohyun blinked at him with curiosity, confused as to what else they would need to know. He could use his power now, so all they had to do was train him until he could use it for long periods of time, right? The commander turned to face Woohyun with a look a seriousness.

 

"Do you know the legend of Aryllia?" He asked, catching Woohyun off guard. What was a legend going to do in this situation? He scratched his head and looked up, recalling the bits and pieces of the story as told by his mother.

 

"She was a commoner from the province of Nier and escaped death by crossing over the Rein river, right? And she landed in an old fishing town in Waileia that was rich in sacredite ore. What does this have to do with anything?" Woohyun stopped himself before he could continue to recite her tale. The commander wasn't fazed by his question.

 

"She discovered the magical properties of sacredite through her non elemental power. According to the books written about her greatness, it was said she had mastered her power and could use it for impossible lengths of time."

 

"I still don't understand." Woohyun said flatly after the commander paused, hoping for him to at least get to his point. The commander sighed and crossed his arms, clicking his tongue softly before deciding to make his statement clear.

 

"Fire elementals regain energy from direct sunlight, water elementals regain energy from rain or a nearby water source. Us elementals know what our strengths and weaknesses are depending on our surroundings. As for non elementals, because they are extremely rare, we don't quite know how they regain energy." 

 

Woohyun gasped and nodded along, finally understanding. Aryllia, from what he remembered, could wield up to twenty pure sacredite weapons at once using her magic. For her to be doing that, there must have been a way for her to regain energy continuously, but how? The weather conditions couldn't always be in her favor throughout the time she spent in the war. The commander seemed to see the pieces clicking into place in Woohyun's brain and gave a short smirk.

 

"Did anyone document how she might have regained energy? I mean, this is nothing more than a legend from a couple hundred years ago, but anything could help." Woohyun slurred out the first words before asking the rest, unsure if he should ask or not. The commander fixed his expression back to his usual stoic one before he began pacing back and forth.

 

"I'm not sure about what you heard, but Aryllia was indeed a real person. I guess her story doesn't matter in this case, but she was a crucial point in history that led us to discovering sacredite along with broadening our limited knowledge of non elementals. I learned from a trusted source that she could pull energy from the atmosphere itself without any hindrances from the weather." The commander explained. Woohyun watched with his eyes as the man paced in front of him with amazement. He never would have guessed that the commander knew as much information as he was capable on the battlefield. He had barely caught a glimpse of his jet black blade training in the sea of knights when he was being tutored by Dongwoo, but he knew for a fact that the commander was a skilled fighter.

 

"So... how are we going to test this?"

 

"I already have."

 

"Wait, what?" Woohyun was bewildered by his answer. The commander gave off a smug aura as he stopped pacing and faced Woohyun, staring deeply into his soul with those sharp eyes of his that Woohyun still couldn't get used to.

 

"How are you feeling right now?" Was all he offered before abruptly turning on his heels and shouting at the rest of the knights in the tent to stop staring and get back to training. Woohyun hadn't even noticed the sudden lack of movement from the knights practicing their elements; he was too caught up in his own personal situation. How the commander noticed just showed how aware of his surroundings he was, like he had once explained. But none of this could bother Woohyun; he was too sucked into the overlaying feeling of his own negligence, as if it was a void of darkness that he couldn't seem to escape from.

 

How had he not noticed how he felt?

 

The commander turned his attention back to Woohyun, surprised to see him so lost in thought and silent. He waited patiently as Woohyun's consciousness floated from his head to his feet and everywhere in between, checking his pulse and breathing to be extra certain.

 

"I'm... fine." He breathed out in a state of mild shock. "How can I be fine? It has only been a few minutes since I nearly fainted from overusing my magic, how can I be fine?" Woohyun searched the commander's eyes for answers. It was true, his body felt as good as new, like he hadn't conjured his power at all that day. His lungs that once had contracted to the point of suffocation were in perfect condition again and his legs were standing firmly on ground as if his knees had never gave out under him. 

 

"It takes an hour to regain my energy; half that time on a good day, but you were unknowingly acting like nothing had happen after three minutes, and by five, you didn't show signs of any fatigue. From what I just witnessed, Aryllia's legendary power regeneration seems to match yours." The commander stated with a hint of pride in his voice. Woohyun blinked rapidly at the realization of his full potential. He had always been a weak Waileian commoner boy who grew dying crops in order to survive, but now he was a Sweftan knight-in-training with magic so rare and powerful that even the strict chief commander Kim Sunggyu compared him to Aryllia, the greatest conquer in all of Rein's rich history. His entire life had changed in a matter of days and only in that moment had Woohyun realized the hazy and unpredictable future that lay ahead of him.

 

"Now that you're ready, shall we continue to discover more about your..." The commander paused, at a loss at what to call Woohyun's power. It was something no one had seen before, so naming the strange force was beyond them.

 

"Shield." Woohyun said after thinking about what his power was exactly. The commander gave a quick nod before they continued to train and develop each other's knowledge. For some odd reason, the commander hadn't acted any harsher than his usual self, which surprised Woohyun. He had expected the worst because of last night's events with Myungsoo, but nothing had changed in his attitude. He obviously hadn't forgotten, the commander wasn't someone who could forgive and forget, but Woohyun unconsciously began to feel comfortable around him during the entirety of the day.

 

After dinner, he accompanied Dongwoo back to their tent. The older man had chatted with him light heartily, as if the awkwardness from the events earlier that morning had been left behind. In fact, Dongwoo seemed happier than ever before. As they entered their tent, Woohyun couldn't help but ask why his infectious smile remained constant throughout all of dinner.

 

"It's bath day!" Dongwoo chirped excitedly as he pulled out a giant sack made out of tearing cloth from under his bed. 

 

"Bath day?" Woohyun asked, standing behind his roommate as he rummaged through his belongings until he tossed a clean pair of clothes out of the back.

 

"Yes, bath day. It had completely slipped my mind this morning, but it's the one chance we have to bathe all week!" Dongwoo beamed before shoving another change of clothes into Woohyun's arms. Now that he thought about it, Woohyun hadn't bathed since he left Lunarai and the smell of sweat and body odor suddenly became noticeable between the two men. Living in the midst of a war couldn't always offer the major necessities of hygiene, but at least the troops had a chance to wash themselves clean after a full week of bloodshed and training. He thanked Dongwoo for the spare clothes that he could change into from his worn and torn rags.

 

Woohyun's spirit lifted pretty quickly as they exited their tent and gathered with the rest of the knights, all who were laughing and cheering boisterously like they had after their victory, as if today was another one. With so much going on in everyone's life, it was no surprise that they were excited to bathe. Dongwoo went over to greet Myungsoo, leaving Woohyun stranded in the middle of the crowd of putrid men. He tried to push his way through in the direction Dongwoo had gone, but didn't get too far.

 

"Woohyun, Woohyun!" A recognizable voice called from behind him. Woohyun turned around and saw Sungyeol waving at him. He navigated through the crowd once again before finally reaching talking distance with his friend. As he came to a stop in front of Sungyeol, he noticed that the dark mage wasn't wearing his long robe like normal. Instead, he adorned a simple ragged tunic that most of the troops had on, as well.

 

"Come bathe with us! Sunggyu and I lead the way to the freshwater spring for the other knights, but then we go to a special pool only we know about. Come with us, please! It's so boring because Sunggyu can't hold interesting conversations." Sungyeol begged, going off on a ramble in order to force Woohyun into joining them instead of the rest of the troops. Woohyun tried to calm him down by placing his free hand on his shoulder, but Sungyeol continued to insist on him tagging along by jumping in place.

 

"Okay, okay, I'll go. Why don't you invite Myungsoo to go, too?" 

 

"Do you really trust Sunggyu and Myungsoo being together in a small area?" Sungyeol deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. Woohyun sighed slightly and nodded. After seeing the line of burns on Myungsoo's arm, it had pretty much spelled out the commander's and his relationship. 

 

As more knights gathered, Sungyeol held onto Woohyun by the sleeve of his shirt, making sure he wouldn't be able to sneak off and leave him to face another boring bath with the commander. The setting sun cast pink and orange highlights onto the edge of the forest, where they had been waiting. A few light mages has conjured their magic, sending floating balls of light to illuminate a pathway through the tall trees. Sungyeol gave a short tug on Woohyun's shirt and pointed to a single figure moving passed the crowd with ease, as they parted for him to pass. 

 

The commander managed to reach the front faster than Woohyun managed to weave his way over to Sungyeol a few minutes earlier. With an audible snap that echoed over the noisy men, a single flame rose into the dusk air, burning a dark orange that matched the sky. He turned towards the forest and began leading the way to the place where dirt and grime could be cleansed from one's skin. Within seconds, the entire jumble of troops lurched forward, following the trail of smoke that the commander left in his wake.

 

Before long, everyone had gathered around a large stream that opened up into a lagoon with enough space for every single member of the Sweftan troop to fit in all at once. A sheer cliff towered over half of the lagoon, shading it from the sun's last rays. As soon as the commander stepped out of the way and extinguished his flame, a full out charge broke out and if it wasn't for Sungyeol's grip on Woohyun's sleeve, he would have been shoved to the ground and trampled by the stampede of men.

 

Like he had said, Sungyeol and the commander ended up being the only people not in the water. The commander made eye contact with the two before sauntering off along the stream until he vanished from sight. 

 

"Follow him. I don't quite remember the way up." Sungyeol pulled Woohyun into a fast walk. Woohyun hadn't realized how long the other's legs were until he could actually see them without the robe concealing his whole body. They walked briskly after the commander, who had already started an upward climb as the stream made a sudden turn up onto a fairly steep hill. The trail was scattered with underbrush and fallen tree branches that easily snagged on Woohyun's pants, but Sungyeol kept reminding him how amazing the view was once they reached the top, forcing him to power through. If they had a contest to see who was the most excited for bath day, Sungyeol would come in at number one. 

 

The commander had reached a plateau on the hill and had disappeared from sight yet again. It took Woohyun and Sungyeol a few more minutes before they had beat the slope. A beautiful pool of crystal clear water spanned the entire peak, catching the sun and the first stars in its reflection. Woohyun was speechless for a long time, even as Sungyeol pulled him over to a large rock, where they set their clothes down on its warm surface. The dark mage didn't hesitate for a second before he began to strip off his dirty and torn up clothes and urged Woohyun to do the same.

 

Before he knew it, Woohyun had stepped into the surprisingly heated water after Sungyeol, who had dove in and immediately started to scrub his hair clean of the accumulated oil. From where he stood in the knee-high bed of calm water, Woohyun could see off of the sudden drop in the hill to the lagoon below, where the troops were happily splashing each other. A relaxing mood set in and he walked further and deeper into the pond until everything but his shoulders was submerged. He could feel his pores beginning to open up due to the warm water and joined Sungyeol in scrubbing himself clean.

 

"Sunggyu, stop hiding over there and come talk with us." Sungyeol shouted, turning Woohyun's attention to the man on the far end of the pool, who had also been washing off. There was a tinge of discomfort in Woohyun as the thought of the commander coming closer became quite a real possibility. He hadn't felt awkward at all as he undressed with Sungyeol, but strangely the commander was a different case. 

 

The man sighed visibly and began wading through the water towards them, creating tiny waves with each step. Sungyeol waved him over furiously and Woohyun had to turn away. Something wasn't right. Why was his heart beating so fast?


	9. Chapter 9

"This is no fun." Sungyeol pouted, dunking his head into the water until his lungs begged for oxygen. "I thought if Woohyun joined us, it would be more exciting, but instead everything just became awkward." He said when he popped back up to the crystal clear surface.

 

"It's not awkward, I'm just relaxing in the silence." Woohyun said, letting the water run through his hair as he washed his scalp again, trying his best to remain busy, as he wouldn't get another chance to bathe for a long time. Sungyeol sent him a dull look.

 

"Then why are you all the way over there?" He asked pointedly. The gap between the three men was uncanny. Woohyun sighed, realizing how far he had spread himself away from the commander. Sungyeol's face was almost a blur in Woohyun's eyes, and the commander's distinct frown was hardly visible. Sungyeol beckoned him over with a sharp flick of his hand, causing a ripple to travel all the way over to where he sat on a submerged rock. Woohyun drew in a long breath and began inching closer to the two men, heart picking up in speed ever so slightly. Maybe it was too hot in the water and he had been in it for too long, making his nerves act up for no reason. A feeling of dread washed over him as the commander turned his attention to him, sharp eyes tracing over Woohyun's thin torso as if sizing up to him.

 

There was something strange about how the commander looked. Woohyun's heart raced in his ears and he could feel the blood flow up to his cheeks as he came closer and closer to the two men in the middle. It was the first time he had seen the commander's slick hair all wet and tousled, and one look at his exposed forehead was enough to cause Woohyun's stomach to do unusual things. Even though his movement had stirred up the water, he didn't dare look down. Woohyun wasn't able to avert his gaze from the commander's icy stare, anyway.

 

"I'm going." The commander announced as soon as Woohyun reached Sungyeol's side, eyes tracing the cloud-covered horizon. The sun had fallen behind the mountainous ridge that separated Rein from the rest of the world. From their height, Woohyun could see bits and pieces of the remains of Lunarai on the north side, and to the south, the kingdom of Waileia shined brightly in the shadows of dusk.

 

"You're getting out already, Sunggyu?" Sungyeol asked, letting out a throaty whine as the commander reached the shore. Woohyun continued to study the horizon, but secretly kept his ears focused on their conversation. 

 

"We don't have the luxury of playing around. I'm expecting a notice to arrive from the main kingdom tonight." The commander stated in a firm and aggressive tone, like usual. "We need to head back before night falls." He continued. Sungyeol huffed and turned towards Woohyun, who had been staring out at the sky ever since he had joined them in the middle of the pool. The splashes sounded loudly as the commander exited. For some reason, the other man's presence had bothered Woohyun ever since they had arrived at the pool. Sungyeol groaned bitterly before heading to the shore, as well.

 

"Come on, Woohyun. You wouldn't want to be left here on your own." He said, pulling on Woohyun's arm until they eventually got out of the warm water and into the cooling night air. The commander had disappeared behind a large rock – most likely for privacy – by the time the two reached their warmed clothes. Woohyun let out a deep sigh as he felt the fresh tunic drape over his clean body. It was soft and smelled slightly like Dongwoo.

 

Sungyeol dressed first and ushered Woohyun down the path before the clouded sky got too dark. The fallen branches and bushes that snagged onto Woohyun earlier would definitely cause trouble in the dark. They couldn't use their magic to their advantage, either. The commander was the only one who could illuminate the path, but he had already walked on ahead of them.

 

"Hurry up! We'll lose him if you don't come already." Sungyeol waved Woohyun over to the downhill trail frantically while eyeing the small flame that descended the hill at an alarming speed. Woohyun tugged his loose pants up as quickly as he could, feeling the cold wind tickle at his skin as it blew over the plateau. Slipping his slightly damp and muddy feet into his ragged shoes, Woohyun ran over to Sungyeol before the commander could fall out of eyesight.

 

The path was nearly pitch black by the time they had caught up to the small flame that danced in the commander's open palm, catching and swirling in the breeze. The loose pants that Dongwoo had loaned Woohyun kept getting snagged on branches, but he was determined to not trail too far behind. As they turned down and followed the stream back to the lagoon, cheerful laughter and excited chatter could be heard, amplified by the dipping cliff. As soon as Woohyun could see the first couple of knights, most of the racket had subsided as the troop soon noticed the return of the commander.

 

"It's time to head back, everyone!" Sungyeol called out, flailing his limbs all about to get people's attention. The commander stayed silent, lips pursed into a thin line, as he walked along the edge of the clearing with Woohyun following not far behind. There was a collective groan that sounded as the troops started to edge out of the water one by one. The walk back to camp was short and refreshing. The looming trees and the serenity of the moon shining high over their heads almost made the brisk trip feel like a dream. Woohyun almost wouldn't have minded if they had gotten lost while heading back.

 

Once the troop made it back into the open field near the tents, Woohyun split off from following the commander. He had been walking in the light of his flame the entire time that the sudden lack of heat radiating on his face caused him to snap back into his normal mindset. There was no time to appreciate the scenery and beauty of nature. They were in the middle of a war and he had to focus on surviving. Woohyun began to walk to his tent, all the while thinking of what the commander had mentioned back at the pool.

 

"Hey, Dongwoo. Are we getting orders from the main kingdom tonight?" Woohyun asked as soon as his roommate entered the tent. The older man blinked in surprised before stretching himself onto his bed. Woohyun followed suit and snuggled into his pillow.

 

"Are we? I don't know. I'm just an ordinary knight so I wouldn't be notified earlier than anyone else. If we are, only Sunggyu, Howon, and maybe Sungyeol would know before they announce it. Why do you ask?" Dongwoo said, rolling onto his side to look at Woohyun from across the room. Woohyun sighed quietly to himself.

 

"No, I was just wondering because the commander said something about expecting a notice to arrive from Sweft tonight."

 

"Really?" Dongwoo seemed to take interest in the subject. "I guess it's possible that we would receive orders by now. It's already been a few days since we conquered Lunarai…" He mumbled, trailing off in thought. Woohyun shifted his position on the hard makeshift mattress and closed his eyes.

 

"If it's only been a few days, then how are we expecting orders directly from the main kingdom, though? We are on the opposite side of the province." He asked in confusion. Dongwoo chuckled, his voice gravely with on-coming sleep.

 

"You haven't seen how fast a wind elemental knight can run, have you?" When Woohyun didn't say anything, Dongwoo laughed again. "Then maybe we should ask Myungsoo to demonstrate sometime." He said, obviously being drawn in by the welcoming arms of sleep. Woohyun was feeling exhausted, as well. Training his power all day wore him out mentally, and the bath relaxed his body, leaving him barely on the brink of consciousness as soon as Dongwoo began to work up a light snore.

 

Sometime into the night, Woohyun awoke by the sound of feet crunching on the dirt near his tent. It sounded like two people were just outside, and Woohyun wasn't sure if he should check it out or not. Suddenly, he heard muffled whispering. He couldn't hear exactly what the voices were saying, but he heard a few things like, "is he here?", "non elemental", and Waileian". Before he could react, the opening to the tent was lifted slightly and a cold breeze blew in, sweeping past Woohyun and flickering the lit candle on the bedside table.

 

"Is that him?" The whispers were audible now, but Woohyun couldn't recognize who the speaker was. To his disadvantage, he had been facing away from the opening and had most of his body hidden under the blanket. He didn't want to move and suddenly alert the men that he was awake, so he remained frozen in his position, listening to their conversation. One of the men was undoubtedly the commander, as the sternness in his tone was evident even as he was whispering.

 

"You can report this to the king, but I think we should hold onto him for a while longer. I don't believe he has the brains nor wit to fight us, but he is still a Waileian. Let me watch over him for a while longer until I know it is safe for him to enter Sweftan walls."

 

"Agreed. I will notify the king of his existence, but after that, it isn't our decision if you get to watch over him for long."

 

Woohyun couldn't understand what they were talking about. It was about him, no doubt, but what were they saying about entering Sweftan walls and still possibly being Waileian? His mind was half functioning, and by the time he decided to look at the men, they had already left. Feeling uneasy, Woohyun hesitantly fell back to sleep.

 

The next morning, Dongwoo shook Woohyun awake rather harshly. The sun was up and peaking in through the gaps in the tent and outside sounded alive and bustling with knights. Dongwoo pulled Woohyun's limp body into a sitting position before continuing to pack his things into the worn bag he had stored under his bed.

 

"What's going on?" Woohyun asked, rubbing his blurry eyes. The older man turned to offer him a bright smile.

 

"You were right, we received orders to move camp last night. You should hurry to breakfast before they take down the tent." With that, Dongwoo pushed Woohyun out of the tent and told him to grab something for the road.

 

"What about you?" Woohyun managed to ask, to which Dongwoo responded with an exasperated,

 

"Just go."

 

To Woohyun's surprise, more than half of the personal tents were taken down and rolled up into large sacks by the time he reached the mess tent, which was also in the middle of being unassembled. Howon was at his workstation passing out food items to the troops as they emptied out the kitchen.

 

"Good morning, kid." Howon said as Woohyun made it up to him. Woohyun greeted him back and asked for a little extra to take for the trip like Dongwoo had told him to. Howon tossed him a few strips of dried meat and a loaf of bread. Woohyun was curious as to how Howon would be able to move the forge, but the line in back of him had gotten pretty long, so he left without saying another word.

 

Dongwoo met him on the practice field with the other knights as they waited for orders. He had miraculously packed the entire tent and everything in it, including Woohyun's bed, into his large bag. With one arm missing, Dongwoo was surprisingly diligent in tasks that it would normally require both hands. Woohyun stopped next to him and gave him bits of bread as they waited in the sun.

 

"Woohyun!" A hyper voice called from somewhere on the side of them. Sungyeol, dressed in his usual robe, came bounding up Woohyun, dragging a stoic Myungsoo along with him. Due to the sun's rays, Sungyeol had put his baggy hood over his head to conserve energy.

 

"Aren't you guys excited to finally be moving?" The dark mage asked with glee. Myungsoo gave a short nod as a response while Dongwoo smiled and began chatting up a storm. Woohyun knew the troop had been stationed out here for a couple of months, but he hadn't thought Sungyeol, Dongwoo, and everyone else standing on the field for that matter would be this eager to leave the place they had called home for so long. Myungsoo stood unmoving, staring at the skyline in an eerie silence as if he was a ghost. In an attempt to strike up a conversation between the two, Woohyun inched closer to the man and followed his gaze up over the trees.

 

"Do you know where we might be going?" He asked, seeming as nonchalant as he could. Myungsoo let out a huff and averted his eyes, turning to look at Sungyeol. Myungsoo was being oddly silent today, as if his mischievous side had been washed away in the bath last night.

 

"I bet he does." He said slowly, staring holes into the dark mage's side. Woohyun nodded awkwardly. That was it for their conversation. Neither man spoke another word until the knights were called to listen up. The commander walked to the front of the crowd and addressed some information that Woohyun couldn't understand.

 

"We are set to travel west back to Sweftan territory to find and destroy two Waileian camps just outside of our borders. They haven't been discovered yet, but they haven't gone unnoticed by the king. Because we have lost a lot of men in the battle for Lunarai, each man can have his own sleeping tent. We begin training for stealth raids upon arrival to our campsite." The commander's voice washed over the sea of troops. The clearing in the forest soon erupted in cheers, causing a few nesting birds to flee from the noise. Woohyun couldn't help but feel slightly bummed, however, since the route they were taking didn't seem like it would lead any closer to the Rein river than they already were.

 

"All right, soldiers, move out!"


	10. Chapter 10

The journey across the mountainous terrain was steep and tiring. Woohyun didn't have the privilege to ride on the commander's horse like he had on the first day, so he trailed behind the front line with the rest of the troops. Dongwoo had split off from him around noon and Woohyun hadn't seen him since. The sky was growing pink and orange as the sun dipped down onto the horizon. It was a splendid view, but Woohyun was too tired to care.

 

"Sungyeol, how are you holding up in all that cloth?" He asked the dark mage walking next to him. Sungyeol and Woohyun had managed to slip to the back a few hours ago, and have been quietly suffering through the heat of the blazing sun. Sungyeol merely shrugged his shoulders as an answer, but Woohyun could hear the other's shallow breathes loud and clear.

 

"Can't you use your shield to cover us from the sun?" Sungyeol muttered, adjusting his hood with one hand.

 

"Can't you ask Sungjong for a shadow spell to cloak us in darkness?" Woohyun muttered back, careful not to let the surrounding knights overhear. Sungyeol shot him a look, but opened Sungjong's cover. After flipping through a few pages, Sungyeol looked up at Woohyun with a deadpanned face.

 

"He says to shut up and deal with it." Sungyeol said, showing Woohyun the page. On the page, however, was something completely different from what Sungyeol had said.

 

*** Don't change my words, idiot. Just wait, you'll be at the campsite soon enough. Plus, the sun is already going down. ***

 

Woohyun let out a laugh at Sungjong's reaction. It turned out to be the wrong thing to do, though. His throat was parched and laughing caused an itch to form. Sungyeol broke out in giggles as Woohyun soon began to cough uncontrollably, wincing by the overwhelming scratchiness of his throat. Woohyun sent a cold glare Sungyeol's way as he chugged a flask of water that the troops passed around every so often.

 

When the sun fell out of sight and dusk started to settle in, the commander ordered them to stop for the night and continue the next morning. They would find shelter under a few trees on as the road they were on leveled off. No tents were set up that night and everyone huddled around small fires to keep warm. Dongwoo and Myungsoo had taken watch duty along with three other men as everyone rested. Upon the commander's request, Woohyun and Sungyeol were to sleep near him in case Woohyun decided to flee in the middle of the night. Woohyun was getting tired of the commander being wary of him, but then he remembered what he had heard on the previous night. Were they planning to take him to the main kingdom?

 

"Where are we on the map?" Woohyun asked when the commander unrolled a marked up paper from his bag. He watched as the man took out an ink pen and drew an X near the Sweftan boarders.

 

"We're here." The commander said, pointing to the first mark outside of Waileian territory leading to the X. Woohyun stared at the map in the fluttering orange light of the fire and sighed. "By the time we arrive tomorrow, it would be noon." The commander guessed, rubbing his chin with a gloved hand.

 

Woohyun looked around at the troops, seeing as how their smiles and lighthearted chatter hadn't vanished at all since the start of the day. It was a nice change from the seriousness of war. It was almost hard to believe, but these men all had lives before joining the army. Maybe they were happy to be back in Sweftan lands because they were that much closer to family. Woohyun could only imagine what that felt like.

 

"Hey, kid." The commander said in a low voice, turning Woohyun's attention back to him. "Go to sleep. And you, too, Sungyeol." He said before rolling up the map and tucking it away safely. Woohyun nodded and lay down on the grass near the fire, turning his back to its warmth. He stifled a yawn as he straightened his limbs out, feeling his muscles relax from the entire day of trekking. Not long after, Sungyeol could be heard finding a comfortable spot on the ground and wrapping himself in his robe to keep warm over night.

 

For some reason, no matter how hard Woohyun tried to fall asleep, he just couldn't. The sky was clear and filled with millions of stars that hung like raindrops frozen in time, but he couldn't fully capture its beauty because of the looming thoughts that crowded his mind.

 

The person that visited Woohyun's tent with the commander had to be a messenger from Sweft. He would most likely never meet him, nor did he really care that much about him. It was what they said on that night that kept Woohyun feeling uneasy. Yes, he had agreed to join the Sweftan army, but it was for survival. He hadn't expected that the king would ever know of him. Woohyun turned onto his other side and watched the last of the burning embers die out in the fire pit. The wind howled through the trees ominously and Woohyun eventually sat up and looked around the sleeping troop. How long would he be staying with them?

 

By chance, Woohyun turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes landed on the commander's sleeping figure, his back resting on the trunk of a nearby pine tree and his head slightly leaning to the side. Woohyun crawled over to get a closer look at him in the pitch black of night. He was fast asleep and unusually peaceful. His lips were parted and his chest rose up and down steadily. Woohyun could have almost described him as innocent at that moment, as if he were no longer the feared commander of an army, but just plain Kim Sunggyu.

 

"What are you planning?" Woohyun whispered, settling down next to him at the base of the tree. The bark scratched and tugged at his shirt, but he sat back and let his shoulder slightly brush against the commander's. "What are you going to do with me?" He asked, a little louder this time, but not enough to not disturb the sleeping man. The presence of someone right near him set his mind at ease from those thoughts, even if the person next to him just so happened to be the cause of them in the first place.

 

Before he could stop himself and return to his spot on the grass, his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open and suddenly the entire day's worth of exhaustion hit him like a brick. Woohyun's hands absentmindedly reached for something to keep him warm since the fires had been put out, and came upon the commander's shoulder cape. He wrapped it around his body until he was encased in the thick fabric, and rested his head on the tree. As he drifted off into a peaceful and cozy sleep, his head rolled to the side and lightly came in contact with something warm and steady. Being too tired to move, Woohyun let his cheek rest on the broad object until he eventually fell out of consciousness.

 

Early the next morning, when the birds were at the prime of their songs, Woohyun woke up by a tap to his forehead. He raised his eyebrows before slowly peaking out of one eye. His body felt well rested and cozy, so he didn't want to move.

 

"Well, isn't this adorable." A mocking voice said from above. Woohyun gazed up and met with Sungyeol's smirk. With a sigh, Woohyun began to push himself off of the tree. "I'm surprised he even left that for you instead of strangling you with it." Sungyeol said with a laugh.

 

Only then did Woohyun realize that something was draped over his body. He picked it up and examined the bright red cloth in the sun peaking through the trees. It was the commander's cape. The bottom that had been resting on the ground was damp with morning dew, but the rest of it was warm with Woohyun's body heat and surprisingly soft. Woohyun looked around for the owner, but the commander had disappeared. He must have woken up first and left without bothering Woohyun's sleep.

 

"Hurry and eat so we can go." Sungyeol ordered, helping Woohyun onto his feet. They met up with Dongwoo and Myungsoo for a quick breakfast before they rounded up their things and destroyed any evidence that they had camped there for the night. They were still in Waileian territory, after all. All the while, Woohyun had been on the lookout for the commander in order to return his cape. He didn't know why, but every time he glanced down at the folded cloth in his arms, he couldn't help but feel elated. Myungsoo must have noticed Woohyun zoning out and walked over to him.

 

"Why are you smiling to yourself? We're leaving." He said in between stuffing his mouth with bread. Woohyun looked over his shoulder and saw the rest of the troops filing up the mountain trail. Marching a little ahead of the group was none other than the commander. He was hardly recognizable without his cape to distinguish him from the lesser ranks. Woohyun's heart skipped a beat unexpectedly as the commander turned around, eyes probing the area until finding landing on Woohyun. Suddenly, Woohyun found his feet moving on their own. Ignoring the questions flowing out of the wind elemental's mouth, Woohyun easily passed the group of knights that crowded the path and stopped dead in front of the commander, who gave him a judging stare.

 

"Uh, here." Woohyun mumbled, holding the folded cape out for the commander to take. The situation was painfully awkward, and the stern man didn't show any reaction as Woohyun uttered an apology. The commander reached one hand out to take the cape back, but Woohyun's hands retracted before he could get a good grasp and the cloth dropped to the ground with a muffled thud. A few snickers could be heard from behind, and Woohyun felt his blood rush into his cheeks. He knew immediately that Dongwoo and Sungyeol were responsible for the mocking sounds.

 

"Sorry…" Woohyun said, bending down to pick up the cape as quickly as he could. The fabric accidentally slipped out of his fingers just before he stood up again and he winced to himself. By the time he had dusted it off and returned it into the commander's hands safely, the snickers had turned into full-blown laughter. Woohyun released a long sigh and gave a hot glance at the commander's face for any reaction before he turned to leave. His eyes widened at the sight of a faint smirk playing on the commander's lips. It wasn't the usual cynical smirk that he wore around the practice field, but an honest, amused smirk that could almost become a grin.

 

Without a word, the commander swung the cape over his shoulder and clipped it into place. Once it was secure, he spun on his heels and climbed up onto his horse, leaving Woohyun standing on the rocky path as the troop began to progress to their new campsite.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Woohyun sighed for the third time in one minute. "Do you think he thinks I'm weird?" He asked, waiting a moment before turning Sungjong's pages. He had managed to slink to the back of the troop as they traversed the mountain ridges, borrowing Sungjong for a little while. Even though Sungyeol was the older brother, Woohyun felt that he would speak easier with Sungjong.

 

*** Sunggyu probably thinks you're strange, yes. ***

 

Woohyun's face fell.

 

*** But you said he smiled, no? ***

 

"Well, yeah, I think he was. I dropped his cape onto the ground and got it all dirty, though." Woohyun mumbled sourly. He flipped the page a little harder than intended as he thought back to his embarrassment.

 

*** Why does this matter to you so much, anyway? ***

 

Woohyun read those words over and over. His mind couldn't understand why he even bothered consulting Sungjong about this matter, but something had told him to.

 

"I don't really know. Actually, never mind about it."

 

*** No, wait. I'm actually amazed that he didn't stab you in the neck when he woke up. It also sounded as if he cared of your well being when the messenger came. ***

 

Woohyun was shocked by Sungjong's statement. He knew what the two men had been discussing when they stopped by the tent in the night. Woohyun opened his mouth to ask Sungjong about what he had meant by 'as if he cared of your well being', but he walked head first into someone's back.

 

"Ouch!" Woohyun whined. He slammed Sungjong shut before anyone could see inside before reaching up to rub his stinging forehead. Dongwoo gave a hearty laugh and clapped Woohyun on the shoulder.

 

"You really have been zoning out recently. Myungsoo said you were in a daze all this morning, and now you didn't even realize that we've arrive at our new home." Dongwoo's smile radiated like the sun high above their heads. Woohyun blinked and looked past Dongwoo to the large open field that looked almost exactly like the one at the first camp, but maybe it was because he hadn't lived there long enough to tell a difference. There were, however, yellow and red flowers that littered the ground in patches that attracted dozens of butterflies.

 

The troops ahead of him began rushing down onto the grass, joyfully welcoming it as their new home away from home. The commander's horse trotted over to the far side of the field where the tree line started, waving the troops over to set up their tents. Dongwoo and Woohyun walked over, chatting about the scenery. Before long, Sungyeol had joined them and had taken back his book of spells. He didn't seem his usual chipper self, though.

 

"What's wrong, Sungyeol?" Woohyun asked upon seeing his solemn face. The mage continued to look around the campsite cautiously, giving Woohyun and Dongwoo a bad feeling.

 

"I'm just wondering about something." Sungyeol stated, staring into the far off trees. "If there are Waileian camps hiding out here, then they must have found this place…"

 

"And?" Woohyun asked when he trailed off. One look at Dongwoo and he knew that the other had caught on.

 

"And then they knew to move because it's too obvious and easy to find. What I'm saying is, if they know about this place, wouldn't they keep watch of it?" Sungyeol said, causing Woohyun to furrow his eyebrows.

 

"They know that since we're in Sweftan boarders, we wouldn't have to hide and would be able to freely occupy this space. If we plan to have successful stealth raids on these Waileian troops, though, it's best to move along." Dongwoo piped up from the other side of Woohyun. The idea of more walking made Woohyun shiver slightly, but he knew it was their only option if the wanted to take these Waileians down.

 

As they got closer to the forest's edge, Sungyeol and Dongwoo made their way through the sea of tired and perspiring men until they reached the commander. Even from afar, Woohyun could see that the look on his face was nearly an exact copy of Sungyeol's from earlier. He said a few words to both of the concerned men before walking off. When Sungyeol and Dongwoo returned to Woohyun's side, he noticed a hint of smiles etched onto their faces.

 

"He says he had this planned since the start of the trip. Focus on setting up your tent and resting and he'll call a meeting before sunset." Sungyeol said with his usual cheery tone. Woohyun was glad his seriousness had left him so quickly. It didn't suit him.

 

"What is he going to say at sunset?" Woohyun asked Dongwoo after Sungyeol skipped off to make his tent. The older man sent him a mysterious grin before beginning to walk off, as well.

 

"Get ready to fight!"


	11. Chapter 11

Like Sungyeol had said, the troops began to meet in the large field a few hours after they had ended their travel. In the pink and purple hues of dusk, Woohyun emerged from his tent and joined the other knights outside, taking in the sweet fragrance of the flowers with each uneven breath he took. What Dongwoo had told him before they parted had sat dormant in his mind, not fully being processed until he had finished setting up his new living space. Was Nam Woohyun, a commoner from a demolished city, going to really fight in a war?

"Kid." Howon's rough voice called to Woohyun as he fit himself between two wind elemental knights. The blacksmith waved him over into a clearing a few feet from the group.

"Hello, Howon. Are you fighting, too?" Woohyun asked once he entered talking distance over the banter of the troop. Howon tucked his arms into his chest and raised an eyebrow at the newcomer.

"Too? Sunggyu ordered us to stay hidden. We are needed cargo, you know." He said, making Woohyun frown a bit.

"Hide? But Dongwoo said we're expecting a fight tonight. Doesn't the commander need us to help, too?" Woohyun asked, although feeling slightly relieved that he didn't have to attack a man. Howon gave a smirk.

"Like you'd be skilled enough to land a blow on a moving target."

"What do you mean? I trained with Dongwoo and I can use my magic now, I could at least do some damage." Woohyun explained. Howon scoffed, obviously not believing him at all.

"I've seen the way you handle a sword. It doesn't suit your fighting style. When you trained with Dongwoo, you tended to swing with too far of a gap. If you were to do that in a real battle, you'd be dead in five minutes."

Before Woohyun could say anything, the field suddenly fell into a deafening silence. Surprised, Woohyun turned towards the quiet troops and searched the area for the commander, who must have made his appearance. Howon glanced over the sea of men and quickly made eye contact with the commander as he stopped in the middle of the field. Howon gave a curt nod before taking Woohyun by the shirt and pulling him farther off of the field. Woohyun tried to resist, but the other's grip was too strong.

They eventually entered Howon's newly set up forge tent and the blacksmith released the other. Woohyun opened his mouth to speak, but Howon proceeded to the fiery hearth, where he began to refine a blade almost immediately. Woohyun could hear the troops rallying outside, but decided to get a closer look at Howon's work. There really wasn't much he could do at this point. The commander had ordered them to stay hidden. As he drew closer to the heated forge, Woohyun noticed a golden hilt near Howon's workbench.

"Isn't this…?" Woohyun wondered out loud as he reached to pick it up. Howon glanced over his shoulder. 

"Sunggyu's. I would have finished fixing his sword by now if we didn't have to travel this far. It might be possible to get it done by tonight, but I don't know how long before he will need it." He said before continuing to sharpen and shape the blade in his hands. Woohyun nodded and turned his attention to the sacredite object. Even though the embers and molten metals glowed a bright orange, the jet-black sword was void of any light reflection. Woohyun took a wild guess that the magic ore was absorbing the elements into itself, which seemed to be correct, as the blade looked as if it was a portal to the abyss. Even Howon gave it a strange look every so often.

"Oh, by the way, your armor is over there." Howon said, catching Woohyun off guard. He had been staring at the blade so contently he hadn't realized that the blacksmith had stopped sharpening it. Woohyun followed Howon's finger to one corner of the tent that was cluttered with unused ingots and half finished weapons. 

Under a few steel plates, Woohyun uncovered a full set of armor. There was an intricate design on one shoulder plate, much like where the element crest would be. However, Woohyun hadn't seen this design before. Maybe it was to show rank if not element? Upon Howon's request and their current circumstances, Woohyun began to put on his armor. 

"I didn't think it would be this heavy. How do the troops manage to lug this weight around all day?" Woohyun asked, walking up to the forge. He had counted how many items he had to wear. Chainmail, chest piece, both shoulder pieces, bracers, gauntlets, snug fitting leg pieces, and shin-high boots. Twelve pieces of armor was enough to make his footsteps sluggish; Woohyun couldn't imagine the extra weight of the cape the commander wore all the time. Howon looked him up and down, judging the quality of his creation.

"As long as you can keep up in it if we have to move, you'll be just fine. And no matter what, don't use your magic; take a blow if you have to, but don't let the Waileians know you're a non elemental." He warned before getting back to sharpening the commander's sword. Just then, the rally outside died down and the forest was engulfed by silence once again. Woohyun's armor groaned as he turned to look out of the slim opening of the tent. Howon began cursing under his breath as he pushed himself to work faster. Woohyun gulped, realizing that the battle was about to begin.

"What will the commander use to fight?" Woohyun shuddered as the silence drew out. It was if everyone on the field had suddenly vanished. Howon ignored him and brought the new blade to the hilt. Woohyun watched him begin to connect the two in worry. Would he be able to finish it in time? The commander was a powerful fire elemental, that he knew, but what were the chances of him surviving without a sword? Woohyun wasn't even quite sure how Sungyeol managed to survive the battle for Lunarai with just Sungjong.

"Don't be dumb. Sunggyu has a sword with him at all times. Just because he doesn't have his sacredite sword doesn't mean he has nothing." Howon said in between casting fire to mold the pieces together. Woohyun felt his nerves relax a bit and he settled down next to the forge. He sighed and returned his gaze to the outside, hoping to see any movement at all. It was strange, Woohyun was glad that he didn't have to fight, but something inside him also felt…disappointed. 

"Almost done." Howon mumbled out loud, as if it would make him work faster. Woohyun decided to peak out of the tent to see what was going on. He stood up and walked over to entrance, taking the side of the fabric and drawing it open enough for his eyes to see through clearly. The sky had darkened to a deep blue and the first stars shined brightly overhead. The troops on the field had casted their light magic and everyone was staring at the tree line for any movement. The air was tense and the cold breeze sent shivers down Woohyun's spine.

Before he could think about stepping away, a massive boulder flew out from the forest's edge and landed terrifyingly close to where the troops were gathered. The impact sent shock waves through the ground and knocked Woohyun off of his feet, sending him toppling to the floor along with the many weapons and shield lining the tent. A collective gasp could be heard outside before the cries of war sounded. Woohyun's heart picked up speed and his ears began to ring.

Howon had already gotten back up and hastily continued his work, which was needed more than ever. Woohyun crawled on his hands away from the opening of the tent as debris flooded in from the force. 

"Get back!" Howon shouted at Woohyun, who quickly got up and staggered back over to the forge. The blacksmith's forehead was dabbed with sweat that reflected the orange glow on the embers. Woohyun wouldn't have noticed if he was standing any further away. Its bright hues reminded him of the commander, who was out on the field right now protecting them, and it gave him a sense of determination.

Woohyun glanced down to the sacredite sword that Howon had just finished melding together. Maybe it was the feeling of comfort by wearing armor, or maybe it was the adrenaline, but Woohyun grabbed the sword from Howon's sweating palms and charged out of the tent. The commander needed this sword more than anything right now. A regular blade couldn't handle having magic casted on it, and Woohyun knew the use of fire was big in the commander's fighting tactics, as he had seen when they were training.

Just outside the safe confinements of the tent, Woohyun stalled and looked around, scanning for any signs of a red cape. There were knights all over the place, dashing and slashing anyone within a two-foot radius. The Sweftan knights were hardly distinguishable from the Waileian knights, but Woohyun didn't have the time to figure out who was who. He weaved through the crowded field, heading straight towards the giant boulder in the middle. He couldn't tell from inside the tent, but the boulder wasn't actually a rock, but rather a chunk of earth the size of the mess tent.

"Woohyun!" Myungsoo appeared at his side, covered with blood. "What are you doing out here? Go hide!" He yelled, blocking an oncoming ax. Woohyun continued to run further into the warring knights, clutching the commander's sword until his knuckles turned white. Bolts of lightning shot over the battlefield, striking down a few knights ahead of Woohyun, causing him to sidestep and nearly run into a dark mage. Unlike Sungyeol, this Waileian dark mage knew exactly what he was doing, and once he spotted Woohyun, a few reanimated corpses came charging after him.

Woohyun sped passed knight after knight, dodging and guarding himself from fallen men who mindlessly swung their weapons at him. Necromancy, he decided, was something he shouldn't mess with, even if he could. Woohyun had reached the boulder faster than he expected, but there were still no signs of the commander. The sacredite blade weighed too much for him to use effectively against Waileian troops, so he continued to run. His heart was pounding and his breath grew shallow, but he couldn't stop.

A corpse had caught up to him from behind and grabbed his shoulder, using inhuman strength to whip Woohyun around. The man, with a fatal slash in his gut that oozed blood, raised his sword, preparing to attack. Woohyun felt his body pulse with energy as he looked death in the eyes. But he couldn't use his magic. Howon had advised against it and he didn't want to know the consequences if he did. His eyes widened as the corpse brought down his sword in one swift slash. His mind went blank, as all he could do was use his shield power or die.

In a flurry of movement, Woohyun was pushed back and the corpse locked swords with a very familiar man. The force of the impact had caused the man's red cape to fly up into the air, billowing on its way down. Woohyun blinked as the commander drew back their clashed swords and threw a fireball at the corpse, who lit up in flames in an instant. Woohyun gasped and felt his knees go weak. Before he could come crashing to the ground, the commander turned to him, eyes piercing and deadly.

"What are you doing out?" His voice was sharp, but unusually calm for their current situation. The look of outrage in his eyes, however, proved he was anything but calm. Woohyun's grip on the sacredite sword lessened as he lifted it up from his side.

"Howon finished it so I came to bring it to you." He stuttered, more afraid of the commander than the actual war going on around them. The commander dropped his gaze to the jet-black sword in Woohyun's outstretched hand and furrowed his eyebrows. Without hesitation, he took it into his grip and looked it over. Woohyun watched his expression carefully. His features softened for a split second before he tossed Woohyun his replacement sword.

"Can you fight your way back? Or do I need to escort you?" The commander asked, testing his new sword out by slashing an oncoming knight's neck. Woohyun averted his eyes from the gory sight as the commander nodded in approval at the quality of the blade.

"I don't think I'll be able to… attack anyone." Woohyun mumbled, glancing at the blood stained blade in his hands. Just the sight of it made him queasy. How did he even think for a moment that he'd be able to fight in this battle? The commander huffed but began heading in the camp's direction. Woohyun caught up and raised his sword in a defensive position like how Dongwoo had taught him. The commander took down any Waileian they passed, jumping from Woohyun's left to his right in a matter of milliseconds. 

"Did you use your magic?" He asked before lighting his blade on fire. Woohyun shook his head, too out of breath to answer with words; the armor and the weight of the sword were proving too heavy for him. The commander continued to cover for him on both sides, but it seemed like it was more for his enjoyment than actually protecting Woohyun. About halfway out of the field, the commander encountered a brutish Waileian with a war hammer. He yelled for Woohyun to continue on as he took care of the enemy. Woohyun continued to run, blocking and just barely dodging magic attacks. Before he could reach the clearing, a wind elemental appeared in front of him.

Woohyun blinked as he drew closer. The man was slightly taller than him, and looked oddly familiar. Was it Myungsoo? Woohyun began to let down his guard, but something about the man's sinister smile bothered him. Before he could call out to Myungsoo, the wind around them began to pick up. Woohyun shielded his eyes, but continued ahead. As he blinked, Myungsoo sprinted towards him, using his wind magic for extra speed. Just in the nick of time, Woohyun raised his sword and collided with Myungsoo's daggers. 

"What are you doing?" Woohyun shouted, using all of his energy to hold his ground. Myungsoo jumped back and charged at him again, this time aiming for his neck. Woohyun steadied his sword and waited for the collision. The wind picked up stones and blade shards and flung them in all directions, slicing Woohyun near his eye. Why was Myungsoo attacking him? 

The commander ran up to them just as Myungsoo bounced off of Woohyun's sword again. Woohyun turned to him for help, his face filled with confusion and hurt. Although they had barely talked, he had considered Myungsoo a friend. The commander rushed in, pointing his sword at the wind elemental knight. Woohyun felt his heart drop as the commander readied himself.

"Moonsoo." He said with utter loath. Woohyun looked at the commander. "I thought you were dead." The commander growled lowly. 

"Moonsoo?" Woohyun asked, facing the attacker. The commander glared straight ahead.

"Myungsoo's twin." He said. Woohyun blinked. Moonsoo was the spitting image of Myungsoo; how could the commander tell the difference? "Run back to the forge. There's no way you could survive fighting Moonsoo." The commander said under his breath, keeping eye contact with the smirking wind elemental, who was playfully tossing his daggers about in the air. Woohyun nodded and sped around the rest of the warring knights. 

As he arrived back at the forge, Howon looked up in surprise. He had made a barricade of weapons, enclosing him in the middle of the tent. Woohyun rushed in and joined him in the center, dropping his sword onto the ground.

"You're alive." Howon said, genuinely surprised Woohyun wasn't lying faced down on the field right now with a hole in his chest. "Did you give the sword to Sunggyu?"

"Yes, I did. I'm glad I did, too. We met Moonsoo." Woohyun said, catching his breath. Howon stiffened at the name.

"I thought he died." He muttered darkly, staring at the entrance of the tent as if he wanted to run out there and confront the man himself. Woohyun felt the tension in the room rise.

"The commander is fighting him right now." He said slowly, hoping Howon wouldn't jump up and leave him suddenly. 

"Even though it was stupid and dangerous of you, I'm glad you got Sunggyu his sword." Howon said, turning back to Woohyun. Woohyun couldn't help but wonder what Moonsoo was to everyone. The way Howon reacted just now matched the commander's reaction exactly.

"Why?"

"Because without it, Sunggyu would be dead."


	12. Chapter 12

"Dead?" Woohyun repeated. The Kim Sunggyu, leader of the Sweftan troop that took down one of Waileia's greatest cities, would be dead if he fought Moonsoo without his sword? Howon nodded, averting his eyes from the entrance of the tent.

 

"That guy has immensely strong capabilities. We thought he had died a long time ago, but how could Moonsoo die so easily, huh?" He said, almost laughing at their foolishness. "Of course he didn't die."

 

"Does that mean Myungsoo is powerful, too?" Woohyun asked. If Moonsoo and Myungsoo were identical twins, wouldn't their power and strength be the same, too? Howon crossed his arms over his chest. Only now had Woohyun realized he had put on armor while he was gone.

 

"Even if they share the same power, Moonsoo was the first to awaken his." Howon said. Woohyun blinked at him and he deadpanned. "You don't know what that means, do you?"

 

"Awaken as in finding out you have magic? Like what happened to me?" Woohyun guessed. Howon sighed and, being cautious of the war going on outside, began to teach Woohyun the terms and ways of the elemental world.

 

"Normal elementals usually have their magic since birth. What I mean by 'awakening' is that Moonsoo triggered something within him, revealing the true power of a wind elemental. It's a rare and nearly impossible thing to do, but he somehow did it. Most elementals, like Sunggyu and myself included, haven't awakened their power—their full potential—yet. I don't know what went on with you, but I assume you only learned of your magic, but not yet awakened it."

 

Woohyun nodded slowly, taking everything in. The battle cries were getting closer and closer to the tent, as if the troops had begun spreading off the field to raid the camp, although not close enough to run and take shelter somewhere else. Howon picked up a nearby spear and tossed it over to Woohyun.

 

"You should hold onto this. I think you'll be better off with it than a sword." Howon mumbled, drawing his own weapon. "And remember, no matter what happens, do not use your magic." He warned, shifting into a crouching position behind the forge. Woohyun got up as well and readied himself.

 

"When you awaken your power, you become almost unbeatable?" Woohyun asked, watching the entrance to the tent carefully.

 

"Normal elementals are no match for you, that's for sure." Howon said with a hint of worry in his tone. Woohyun looked down at the spear in his hands. He was worried, too. If Moonsoo was that powerful, how could the commander fight him off by himself? Out there was an all men for themselves war; no one would come to his aid even if he called for help.

 

"You're not… thinking of going out there again, are you?" Howon asked, moving to Woohyun's hesitant figure. "You're dumber than Dongwoo." He whispered under his breath, mouth agape.

 

"But Howon, what if he needs our help?"

 

"And you think you can help fight against Moonsoo? We would just be in the way."

 

Woohyun groaned exasperatedly. He was almost positive that the commander would die without any help, but Howon was right. What could he do other than distract the commander and get in his way from maneuvering freely? He let out a shaky breath and gripped the spear tighter.

 

"Sunggyu told us to not get involved and stay hidden. You already disobeyed once, so I'm sure after this is all over, you'll be in big trouble. For now, let's just watch." Howon said, stepping over the fortress of weapons and peaking through the fabric door. Woohyun followed suit and carefully stepped through the weapons, meeting Howon at the entrance. The sky was nearly pitch black and covered with clouds. If it weren't for the fireballs and lightning bolts flying in every direction, it would be too dark to see anything.

 

"There." Howon pointed to a dark shape in the distance. Woohyun watched as a blade of fire dance around the field, illuminating bits and pieces of the man wielding it. It was undoubtedly the commander. Woohyun gasped as the blade was struck with another dark figure, which bounced back with rapid speed.

 

"I can't believe I have to lay eyes on that scum again." Howon said with a clenched jaw, referring to Moonsoo. Woohyun felt the rage emitting off of the other man and felt his pulse quicken. The commander seemed to be just barely holding Moonsoo off and could hardly get an attack in. The amount of dead bodies dropping like flies everywhere around them caused the commander to fumble with his footing, but he kept blocking and dodging Moonsoo like his life depended on it, which it did.

 

"I need to help." Woohyun announced, raising his spear. Howon grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back inside the tent.

 

"Worry about your own safety. If anyone should go out and help, it should be me." Howon stated firmly, eyes paralyzing Woohyun to his spot. Before the blacksmith could abandon Woohyun and join the fight, a loud voice echoed through the air, startling both men.

 

"Moonsoo!"

 

A horrible wind picked up, shaking the foundation of the tent itself. Myungsoo appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his brother, tossing him to the ground a few feet away from the tent. Howon pushed Woohyun back by the forge, distancing themselves as far as they could from the Waileian.

 

"Keep quiet." Howon warned, cupping a hand over Woohyun's mouth. Woohyun squirmed, but didn't dare utter a sound. Howon inched forward to look out of the door, which was blowing around because of the wind. Rocks and dirt scattered around the room once again, making Howon flinch as they rushed past his face. With squinted eyes, he could make out movement from outside. Moonsoo had clashed with Myungsoo again, jumping away when the commander rushed in with his fire.

 

"Get out of my way, Myungsoo." Moonsoo's low growl reached Woohyun's ears, sending his pulse soaring with fright. Myungsoo protested and charged at his brother again, daggers reflecting the fire of the commander's sword. Woohyun noticed Howon grip his sword, preparing to intervene again.

 

"Move!" Moonsoo shouted over the warring knights. A sudden whip of fierce wind lashed through the tent, throwing weapons and armor into the air. Howon dropped to the ground and covered his head, shielding himself. Woohyun ducked as a war hammer came flying in his direction and blocked a sword hilt with his arm.

 

"Woohyun, get down!" Howon yelled, muffled by the wind tearing past his ears. Just before Woohyun could dodge his own spear, an iron ingot smacked him on the back of the head. The world blurred and his knees gave out. An intense ringing in his head followed him as he went crashing to the floor, limbs spread weakly to barely catch his fall. "Woohyun!" Howon's voice was fuzzy and distant. Before he could process or shield himself from anything else, Woohyun blacked out.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Woohyun, are you awake now?" A voice caused Woohyun to stir awake. His head felt like it had been smashed in with a hammer and he immediately moaned in pain. The sun was bright in the sky and burned his eyes.

 

"Is he alive?"

 

"Yeah. Woohyun, can you sit up?" Voices flooded his ears, which were still ringing. Woohyun, with the help of the man, rose to a sitting position. His body ached from head to toe and he had regained consciousness completely. Where was he? Did they beat the Waileian troop? Was the commander alive?

 

"W-where is the commander?" Woohyun whispered, his throat parched and scratchy. There was a round of laughter.

 

"You wake up from a coma and the first thing you do is ask about Sunggyu?" He recognized Sungyeol's voice. He sounded just as happy and carefree as ever. Woohyun opened his eyes fully and looked around, scanning the area for any signs of a familiar red cape.

 

"How long was I out?" Woohyun asked after realizing he way lying on the battle field, which no longer was a lush, green, grassy field with pink and yellow flowers. It was a mess now, with rotting bodies scattered across the stomped and burnt grass. There was even a small fire at the edge of the field where water elementals were scurrying to put it out before it reached the forest.

 

"At least two days." Sungyeol said, lifting up two fingers. Woohyun gasped and tried to stand, but the pain in his head only grew stronger by the sudden movement. "Calm down, you didn't miss anything important." The dark mage helped him sit back down.

 

"We found you and Howon buried under the forge tent. Moonsoo's wind must have blown it down on top of you." Dongwoo appeared at Woohyun's side.

 

"You're all safe." Woohyun mumbled, glad that his friends hadn't perished in the battle. "But how is Howon? Was he knocked out, too?"

 

"No, he's fine. Been grumbling angrily about having to re-setup the forge all day, though." Sungyeol said, looking off into the distance with a smile. Woohyun looked up at him, noticing a certain look in his eyes. Even though Sungyeol was smiling, his eyes didn't mirror the same emotion. Before he could ask if he was all right, a stern voice called for him.

 

"Looks like you're in trouble." Dongwoo mumbled, stooping down on one knee to help Woohyun stand. From across the field stood the commander, waiting patiently for Woohyun to be brought over. Woohyun gulped; even from so far away, he swore he could feel the deathly cold stare of the commander pierce into his soul.

 

"Is he angry that I didn't stay hidden?" Woohyun questioned the men around him. Dongwoo looked at him in shock, as if he hadn't heard that Woohyun had ran out onto the battlefield. Sungyeol returned his gaze to Woohyun and shrugged.

 

"It's Sunggyu so… probably. Don't bring it up if he doesn't address it, though. That's how I get out of a lot of things." He said, patting Woohyun on the back lightly. Dongwoo went on to say that war was very dangerous and that Woohyun should be careful as the two walked over to the commander. Woohyun nodded and sighed, agreeing with everything the older man said. Sungyeol had walked off with a zoned out stare, as if something was bothering him. Woohyun made a mental note to check on him sometime today.

 

"You can leave, Dongwoo. I think he only wants me." Woohyun said as they were almost at the commander. Dongwoo released his grip on Woohyun's shoulder cautiously, and pulled back slowly, letting Woohyun stand on his own. "I'll be fine, thank you for helping me over here." He sent a smile.

 

"Come find me if anything happens, okay?" Dongwoo said before turning back to go help other wounded troops. Woohyun waved and continued walking to the commander, who had been standing in the shade of the boulder all by himself. As he drew closer, Woohyun met with the sharp eyes he had sensed were on him for a while now.

 

The boulder casted shadows on the ground as the sun beamed down on them. Woohyun stepped into the shade and stopped in front of the scowling commander. His heartbeat quickened as he met the other's eyes, unable to look away. The two were alone and out of earshot of the other troops, so Woohyun didn't know what to expect. He managed to tear his gaze from the commander's eyes to the sacredite sword at his side. Even though he was in trouble, Woohyun couldn't help but feel slightly proud that he had gotten that sword to the commander before he had faced off with Moonsoo.

 

"I was worried about you." The commander said in a quiet voice, causing Woohyun's head to snap back up in surprise.

 

What?


	13. Chapter 13

"What if you had died?" The commander continued. Woohyun was speechless; the commander really cared about him? Their eyes met again and confused Woohyun even more. What was this feeling in his chest?

 

"It would be such a waste of non elemental magic."

 

Woohyun almost broke out laughing. Of course the commander wasn't worried for his well-being, just his power. The commander looked down at his hand and lit a small flame in his palm. Woohyun's body stung with a pain different from his splitting headache, beginning in his heart and spreading through his veins, but he didn't show it. Instead, he focused his gaze on the orange flame, flickering in and out of existence. 

 

"Are you going to burn me?" Woohyun asked, voice shaking. The commander looked up at him with an unreadable expression and paused, scanning the other's face.

 

"Burn you?" He pushed himself off the boulder, straightening up and squaring his shoulders. Woohyun looked him in the eyes, trying not to tremble under his sharp gaze and the flame hovering dangerously close to his arm. "No, I think that cut will leave a scar deep enough to remind you how stupid you've been."

 

Woohyun blinked as the commander reached up and traced his thumb over Woohyun's cheek. He winced as a sudden pain washed over his face as the commander's finger pushed down near his eye.

 

Woohyun jerked back and protected his cheek with a cupped hand. The commander pulled away and examined his thumb, which had a swipe of dried blood on it. Woohyun gasped and checked his own hand for blood. It was faint, but undoubtedly there. He had forgotten about getting cut on that night. Any closer to his eye and he would have went blind. 

 

"So what did you want if not to punish me?" Woohyun asked. The commander's eyes flickered up to meet his gaze with a look Woohyun knew all too well, lips pressing into a thin line. "Sir, I mean." He added in quickly. 

 

"Oh, I'm still going to punish you, just not physically." The commander said, wiping his finger on his armor. Woohyun gulped, not knowing what to expect. "You'll be rooming with Sungyeol from now on."

 

"Is that worse than getting burned?" Woohyun asked, tilting his head slightly. Sungyeol was his friend; he hardly saw that as a punishment. 

 

"Find out for yourself. Anyway, that's it. You can go back and move your things over to Sungyeol's tent." The commander dismissed him with a half-hearted wave of his hand. Woohyun didn't budge from his spot, hesitant to ask what was on his mind since he woke up. The commander returned to the shadow and gave him a strange look, as if Woohyun was the only one to stick around after having a talk with him.

 

"What?" He asked, which sounded more demanding than necessary. Woohyun shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. The commander's stare was getting to him.

 

"I was just wondering if you were okay. You were fighting against such a strong opponent, I thought you were bound to get injured." He said, averting his eyes to the charred grass below him. The commander scoffed lightly and Woohyun peaked up. To his surprise, a distinct grin formed on the other's face, covered by the shade of the boulder. He almost seemed like he was actually smiling. Woohyun's stomach did a flip and he couldn't focus on anything but the commander's curved lips at that moment.

 

"Don't worry yourself about something so trivial. I'm fine." The commander said before walking past Woohyun. Woohyun turned at watched him saunter back to camp with his cape swaying in the breeze. His heart began to slow down, but he couldn't figure out why it had sped up in the first place. It couldn't be out of fear, could it? Fear didn't feel like the right word to describe the sensations in Woohyun's chest each time he laid eyes on the commander.

 

He sighed and began to follow the man back to the tents, where he would have to move his bed over to Sungyeol's tent. As he walked, Woohyun wondered what had happened during the time he was knocked out. Sungyeol had said it had at least been two days, so many things could have happened between then and now. For now, he decided to head to the newly setup mess tent since he hadn't eaten and his stomach was growling.

 

"Oh, you're up." Myungsoo was the first to greet him as he took a seat next to his friends. The inside the tent was just as boisterous as before, but there were far fewer knights than when he first joined the army. Even though they had won this battle, it had cost the troops dozens of casualties.

 

"Yeah. How are you, Myungsoo?" Woohyun asked before scooping the strange smelling soup he had ordered into his mouth, savoring its unusual taste. The wind elemental lifted up his arm and Woohyun nearly chocked. There was a long, gapping slash running down his forearm that was soaking through multiple layers of cloth bandages with blood. Woohyun looked away and took a deep breath, trying not to faint on the spot. They had cleaned up some of the bodies around the camp and Woohyun was too distracted by the commander to notice them, but now that he saw that much blood at once, he felt sick.

 

"A present from Moonsoo, but other than this, I'm fine." Myungsoo said, rather calmly. "How did your punishment go?" He asked. Woohyun looked back up at him when he slid his wounded arm back under the table. Dongwoo and Sungyeol turned their attention to Woohyun expectantly.

 

"Well, he didn't do much. He said that this cut would leave a scar and I'd have to room with Sungyeol from now on." Woohyun said, pointing to the scabbing slice near his eye. Dongwoo leaned in to examine it closer, judging the depth of the cut while Sungyeol beamed a blinding smile and began shaking the table excitedly.

 

"Good luck. You'll never get a goodnight's sleep. Sunggyu is too cruel sometimes." Myungsoo mused out loud. Dongwoo let out a giggle and pat Woohyun's shoulder.

 

"It'll be fine." He said. Sungyeol suddenly jumped up and stopped behind Woohyun, pulling him up hastily. Woohyun dropped his spoon as he was yanked up forcefully and dragged away from the mess tent. He looked to Dongwoo with wide eyes as Sungyeol chattered happily, stating how they'd talk until midnight and show off their magic to each other and make fun of Sungjong and become the best of friends. Dongwoo only laughed and waved the two off before he disappeared out of sight.

 

"I didn't get to each lunch…" Woohyun mumbled when they reached Sungyeol's tent.

 

"Doesn't matter! Here, you talk with Sungjonggie while I get your stuff." Sungyeol tossed Sungjong over to Woohyun before bolting out of the tent. It was silent for a while as Woohyun stood in the middle of the small space, processing what just happened. Eventually, he lifted Sungjong's cover and read the first line of text that appeared.

 

*** Sungyeol is excited because he's been living by himself for so long. Sunggyu made this your punishment, and I know for a fact that it will definitely serve as one, but go easy on him. ***

 

"Of course I will. Is he only close with Myungsoo, you, and the commander?" Woohyun asked, moving to go sit down on Sungyeol's tidy bed before flipping to a new page.

 

*** Well, ever since he met you, he's been more open to people. He didn't really speak to Dongwoo at all, but now he hangs around him often. Even Myungsoo seems to think he's moving on from my death. ***

 

"Moving on? Sungjong, how long ago did you die?" Woohyun was baffled. He thought at least a few months had passed. By the way Sungyeol had acted when they had first met, it did seem like it was a recent issue, but everyone involved hadn't shown the slightest bit of sadness—especially the commander—as if it had happened a long time ago. In fact, the commander would smirk more often than not. There was a pause and Woohyun was afraid to flip the page.

 

*** I can't tell. Time is a nulled concept when you're in a book. Perhaps a month or two at most. ***

 

Sungjong said. Woohyun couldn't believe that it was only a few weeks before he had joined. Before he could ask anything more, Sungyeol reappeared with Woohyun's makeshift bed in his arms. Woohyun placed Sungjong down and helped set it up next to the side of the tent, parallel to Sungyeol's. For a dark mage who didn't need brute strength to fight in battle, Sungyeol was surprisingly strong. He easily moved the beds around so they could both fit in the small space they had, and even spoke to Sungjong in the process.

 

"You must be tired since you witnessed your first battle. Second, technically, but you get what I mean." Sungyeol offered a kind smile, ushering Woohyun to lie down. Truthfully, Woohyun had been holding off the ringing in his head and the ache in his bones for so long now, he did feel exhausted and on the verge of sleep. After thanking Sungyeol for his help, Woohyun rolled onto the bed and closed his eyes, turning so the sun that peaked in wouldn't hit his face. Sungyeol whispered a spell and the entire room fell into a darkness and black as night. Woohyun could feel the tension in his muscles dissolve as his mind drifted off to sleep immediately. The thoughts about Sungyeol and Sungjong clouded and merged with his unconscious worries about the commander and what he was to him.

 

"Don't fall back into a coma, now." Were the last words he heard before Woohyun fell asleep.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Woohyun sat up groggily and wiped the sleep from his eyes. The outside air was chilly, indicating night had fallen, but the noise the troops were making sounded unusually loud for the late hour. The tent was empty and the dark magic had lifted, allowing Woohyun to see a dim orange glow from just outside of the tent. He slung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself up, ignoring the pain that jolted up his body like electricity.

 

He emerged the tent and took a deep breath. It was hard to make out, but nearly all of the corpses had been cleared away, thrown off or burned somewhere far from camp, and the grass had been freshly watered by the water elementals. Woohyun followed the path made by the troops until he came up to a newly built fire pit. Almost all of the men were sitting around the large blue and orange fire, singing, chatting, drinking, and howling with laughter. Out of the corner of his eye, Woohyun noticed Dongwoo waving him over.

 

"You disappeared with Sungyeol and then I never saw you again." He laughed as Woohyun entered speaking distance.

 

"I fell asleep again." Woohyun replied truthfully. Dongwoo nodded in understanding before patting the spot on the ground next to him. Woohyun sat down and looked out at the fire, barely catching its radiating heat from where they were. Howon ducked below Dongwoo's figure and made his presence known to Woohyun when he looked back.

 

"Hello, Howon. Did you re-set up the forge?"

 

"Yeah. Luckily I had a few helping hands, or else I would have taken longer. We need to start preparing for another attack soon."

 

"Already?" Woohyun asked, eyes widening. They had just finished a battle. Just looking out into the field, he could see the giant boulder that had started the first attack.

 

"Don't worry about that now. Enjoy yourself tonight." Dongwoo chided, slapping Howon lightly. Only then did Woohyun notice that he had taken the side of Dongwoo that didn't have an arm. It kind of spooked him now that he was so close to it. Despite that feeling, his curiosity piqued once again. Dongwoo had looked very uncomfortable the last time he asked something personal, but Woohyun had a looming hunch of what had happened and he wanted desperately to know.

 

"Maybe we should tell stories." Woohyun suggested, choosing a non-direct way of bringing it up. Howon smiled and expressed interest, so Dongwoo agreed, too. "I can tell you about what I know of Waileia, and you guys can tell me about your lives at Sweft."

 

"Okay, what was it like to live in Lunarai?" Howon asked, scooting around so he could see Woohyun better.

 

"Life wasn't really that special since I didn't know I had magic, but there were nasty guards that abused their power over the commoners that always caused trouble. I mostly did farm work to survive." Woohyun gave a short answer, hoping to move onto the topic he really wanted to discuss.

 

"I heard there's a statue of the king, but I wasn't able to go see it." Howon said, thinking back to the reports and gossip he had overheard when the knights returned. Dongwoo nodded and confirmed, going on about the huge statue in the town square where they had rested for the night. Woohyun knew exactly what he was talking about, but it felt like ages ago since he had walked those streets and seen the statue. Almost like it was a different lifetime.

 

"My turn to ask." Woohyun spoke up, cutting off Dongwoo before he could go on for another hour and a half. That man spoke a lot. "Do you know what happened to Sungyeol's brother?"

 

The mood changed entirely. There was no longer lighthearted chatter between the two older men and Woohyun felt bad for asking, but he needed to know. Dongwoo shifted his gaze away from Woohyun and focused on the palm of his open hand, as if recalling the events of the day Sungjong had died. Howon stayed silent, pursing his lips as the pause in the conversation drew out.

 

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry." Woohyun apologized, feeling nothing but guilt as Dongwoo's smile vanished. It was almost physically painful to watch his whole demeanor change so suddenly.

 

"No, you've been with us for a while now. Someone should tell you, so why not it be me, right?" Dongwoo said, meeting Woohyun's eyes. Woohyun nodded slowly, knowing that he was about to hear something that could possibly change his understanding of the Sweftan troop completely.


	14. Chapter 14

"The day Sungjong died was the day I lost my arm." Dongwoo said, drawing out a long sigh as he stared into the large fire, embers reflecting in his sad eyes. Woohyun blinked at him in surprise, turning to Howon just in time to see him cringe. His suspicion was right; Dongwoo had something to do with Sungjong's death.

 

"What happened?" Woohyun was hesitant to ask. The older men shifted their eyes over to him.

 

"Me and Sungjong used to go out hunting for food together. He could find stags and boars easily in dark places, and I could kill them quickly." Dongwoo began, thinking back to the days when Sungjong was alive. "One day as we went out hunting, I was chasing a deer and Sungjong couldn't keep up. I didn't realize how close to enemy territory we were…"

 

Woohyun's gaze trailed down Dongwoo's face until it reached the ground, unable to stare at those sad and distraught eyes for long. Howon placed a hand on Dongwoo's shoulder and lightly rubbed his back, hoping it would ease the pain evident in his heart. Woohyun knew where this was going, but he still couldn't figure out how Dongwoo lost his arm. From fighting the Waileians? That was his best guess.

 

"Sungjong was attacked on sight. I didn't know until I heard Sungyeol's scream. He wasn't supposed to come on the trip because he would have scared the animals, but he tagged along without us knowing. I really wish he didn't have to see the life drain from his brother's body." Dongwoo said, his hands gripping into fists. Sungyeol and Dongwoo were always so flamboyant and bright. To even think of either man in that predicament of watching Sungjong die was hard, if not impossible. But the look on Dongwoo's face of guilt and sadness was something Woohyun could never forget; deep down, they were hurting.

 

"We eventually had to report it to Sunggyu. It was a disaster. Sunggyu and Sungjong were… close. Closer than anyone in the army."

 

"No one was sure of their relationship, but by the way they looked at each other, it was pretty obvious to me." Howon added in, speaking up suddenly. Woohyun felt his chest contract for some reason, but he didn't know why. Sungjong must have been very important to the commander. He blinked as he realized something. Was this why he and Sungyeol were on good terms? Because of his brother and him were, by the way Howon had hinted at, in love? It hurt Woohyun's heart to think about it.

 

"When Sunggyu found out who was responsible for looking out for him, he took his anger out on that person." Dongwoo continued. He lifted his stump of an arm and looked down at it with an unreadable expression. At the end was a mangled scar that was a few shades darker than the rest of his skin. It didn't look fresh, but Woohyun had seen Dongwoo sometimes act as if he still had his arm with small gesture like going to wipe off the sweat on his forehead.

 

"That person was me." Dongwoo finished, sighing. Woohyun's heart sank at the news. All he could mumble was,

 

“Oh.”

 

There was a long silence between the men. The chatter of the troops around them had continued, but a few men sitting close to them had stopped to listen to Dongwoo’s story, even though they had seen it happen just a few months before. Woohyun opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it, not knowing what to say. The commander cut off Dongwoo’s arm as punishment? Woohyun winced. He had thought that burning the troops if they disobeyed was cruel enough. Sungjong must have meant the world to the commander.

 

“I heard from the messenger than we might be heading back to Sweft soon.” Howon said, changing the subject. The looming tension in the air began to dissipate as a few heads swung around to stare at him. Woohyun and Dongwoo turned to him, too, curious and eager to talk about something else. “Since I’m the blacksmith, I hear about these things beforehand so I can start packing or finishing up early. He said that after taking care of the Waileians in the area, we can return to get more troops.” Howon said, waving his hands around as he spoke as more men around them listened in.

 

“I wonder if Sweft has changed since I was last there.” Dongwoo pondered out loud, his smile returning. Woohyun breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the older man hadn’t stayed depressed for long.

 

“I wonder about my family.” Howon added, causing the troops around them to nod and whisper about their families back in the capital. Woohyun smiled a little at seeing how some men lit up with energy at the thought of their loved ones. If only he could relate to their happiness. His family had died out a long time ago.

 

“What about Eunseo? Have you stopped worrying about her?” Dongwoo asked with a playful smirk on his lips. Howon glared at him with eyes that could kill, but Dongwoo just laughed.

 

“Who is Eunseo?” Woohyun asked. It had been a long time since he heard a girl’s name.

 

“Cha Eunseo. She’s Howon’s girlfriend.” Dongwoo said in between laughs. Howon opened his palm and a ball of fire lit up in his hand, waving dangerously close to Dongwoo’s face. “Hey, hey.” Dongwoo pushed his friend’s arm away before continuing. “She works at the castle, where Howon used to work, and gives orders to move the troops around. It’s probably her doing that we started heading back into Sweftan territory.”

 

“You used to work at the castle?” Woohyun turned to Howon, surprised that a royal blacksmith would be on the battlefield. From what he knew, the higher-ranking class could avoid being drafted in the war. If Howon worked at the castle that meant that he could have easily stayed safely in Sweft. At least, that’s what happened in Waileia.

 

“Yeah. My father was the blacksmith for the royal army. That’s how I learned to work with sacredite. Everyday, I would pass the entrance of the throne room and see the swords of Aryllia. They were so pure and refined, even after years of working with sacredite, I still can’t manage to make a blade of the same quality.” Howon explained, although going off from the original question. Dongwoo laughed again.

 

“Look at you, getting so worked up about sacredite, but not a peep about Eunseo. I’m going to tell her that when I see her.”

 

“But wait, why did you join the army, then? You could have still been at the castle with your girlfriend.” Woohyun asked, probing further. Howon huffed as he thought of an answer while teasing Dongwoo’s hair with a small flame. A clump of hair caught fire, causing Dongwoo to shriek and quickly put it out.

 

“Experience? I wanted to see how swords hold up in actual battle. The most the royal army does is train on wooden dummies. Plus, my father is still there running their forge.” He said. Woohyun nodded. It sounded like something Howon would do. He hoped he’d be able to see Howon and Eunseo reunite, too, when they returned to Sweft.

 

“Oh, you must be hungry. Have some.” Dongwoo suddenly said, and Woohyun remembered how starving he was. He received some bread and some dried meat from his friends before they began talking again. The large fire had started to die down as some men retired to bed, but the few left had joined in on their conversation and each shared their story of life before war. Woohyun listened silently, imagining what Sweft looked like and how peaceful it must have been living in it. Everyone wanted to desperately go home. Woohyun didn’t have a home anymore. The only thing he had to look forward to was seeing the Rein River.

 

After they had said goodnight and parted to their tents, Woohyun rolled onto his bed and stared up at the black ceiling, deep in thought. Sungyeol snored loudly beside him, but he was too focused to notice. Now that he knew about Sungjong’s story, he couldn’t shake a strange feeling in his stomach. Sungjong and the commander were close, so when Dongwoo left his side in a dangerous area, of course the commander would have been furious that Sungjong had died. If it were any other man, Dongwoo would have gotten away with just a burn.

 

He sighed as his heart stung. It had been doing that a lot lately. Woohyun shifted his head on the pillow as he thought of reasons why every time the commander was brought up, something inside of him would bubble with excitement. It was a feeling he had never had before and didn’t know how to stop it. Even when he was supposed to be sad for Dongwoo for losing his arm, all he could actually feel was sadness because of Sungjong and the commander’s relationship. He was an awful friend. With a sigh of frustration, Woohyun closed his eyes and forced himself to forget all of his worries and confusion.

 

The next day, the commander ordered the troops to begin training again. It had taken all three days to clear the field, so the men had fallen out of practice. Woohyun woke up to Sungyeol shaking him roughly with one hand. He opened his heavy eyes and sat up, noticing that his roommate had already grabbed breakfast and was ready to leave the tent.

 

“You’re training with Dongwoo again. Apparently, Sunggyu doesn’t think you’re ready to train with the rest of us yet.” He said, his voice chipper like usual, but the look on his face didn’t match at all. Woohyun was about to ask if he was all right, but Sungyeol zipped out of the tent without another word. Sighing, Woohyun slipped out of bed and walked to the mess tent for a quick breakfast. His mind was anything but clear and refreshed from the night. In fact, he felt even more confused than before.

 

He had had a dream that night. The commander was there, but it didn’t look like him at all. He had the same features, but his hair was longer and light brown. Woohyun had found himself floating above the ground, watching as the commander, dressed in unusual clothes, leaned over the edge of a large river. He didn’t know how, but he knew it was the Rein River. The commander looked helpless and emotionally unstable—exactly the opposite of the man in real life—but Woohyun at the time had thought he was looking at the real commander.

 

As he awoke the next morning, the words the commander had whispered as he looked into the water lay fresh in his mind, making his heart pick up speed each time he thought about it.

 

“I love you.” He mumbled absentmindedly as he walked.

 

Love… was this what he was feeling?


	15. Chapter 15

"You're going to try a spear, now?" Dongwoo asked as Woohyun chose his new training weapon from the rack.

 

"Howon said it would fit me better, so I'll give it a try." Woohyun replied numbly, shuffling out of the storage tent ahead of the other. Dongwoo looked over at his back with a curious gaze, but shrugged it off and followed suit.

 

The morning sun reflected on the dewy grass, looking like little pearls on the burnt ground. Woohyun trudged over to a clear spot away from the rest of the knights, where he waited for Dongwoo to catch up and begin the lesson. He tossed his wooden spear around in his hands mindlessly, eyes traveling from one hand to the other as he caught it.

 

"So…" Dongwoo started as he walked over, stopping a few feet away. Woohyun looked up and rested his spear on his shoulder. "Since you want to learn how to use a spear, we'll have to start from the top again. A spear and a sword are very different, so you'll have to learn new stances and grips." Dongwoo explained. Woohyun only nodded as an answer; his jaw was clenched and his mind elsewhere.

 

Was he really in love with the commander? With Sunggyu? No, it had only been a week since he joined the Sweftan army. Perhaps it was just infatuation.

 

"Slide your back leg so your hips are turned out and put most of your weight onto the front leg." Dongwoo instructed, his gentle hand tapping Woohyun's body in areas that he should fix. Woohyun blinked and did as he was told, pushing his thoughts to the back of his brain and focusing in on the older man. He had to train properly so he wouldn't give Dongwoo a hard time. Even with his resolve, he could feel his worries creeping back up slowly.

 

"Hold it like this." Dongwoo lifted the spear and placed Woohyun's hands in the correct position. "This is a defensive stance." He said. Woohyun looked down at himself and memorized the placement of his limbs. Dongwoo nodded and let him straighten up.

 

"I think this is a good weapon for you. You don't seem like someone who can hold up a forty pound sword in battle."

 

"Yeah, that's pretty impossible for me." Woohyun chuckled, thinking back to how heavy the commander's sacredite sword was in his hands. Dongwoo smiled and twirled his practice spear in his hand, moving to show Woohyun an offensive stance.

 

Woohyun mimicked his position, bending his knees and holding his spear in front of his chest. Dongwoo nodded again and adjusted his arms to the correct height. While he waited to be fixed, Woohyun's mind accidentally slipped off.

 

If he was merely infatuated with the commander, why did his heart pick up speed each time his face appeared in his head? And why did it sting every fiber of his being to know that the commander once had a love life?

 

"Are you listening to me? Woohyun?" Dongwoo called, waving his hand in front of Woohyun's face, nearly brushing his nose with his palm. The younger man quickly snapped out of his daze and tightened his grip on the weapon that had fallen to his side.

 

"Is something distracting you?" Dongwoo asked, digging the butt of his spear into the loose soil. Woohyun sighed and rested his spear on the ground, too.

 

"Not really something, more like someone." Woohyun confessed, gaze traveling to his feet. Dongwoo didn't make a sound, as if urging him to continue. It was silent between them for a long while. Woohyun didn't know what else to say. Should he tell him that he could possibly be in love with Sunggyu? No, he couldn't; he didn't even know if he really felt something as strong as love towards the said man.

 

"Dongwoo, have you ever been in love?"

 

Woohyun's sudden question stunned the older man. Woohyun looked up, meeting his confused eyes. Dongwoo caught on eventually and tilted his head, letting a goofy grin slide across his lips.

 

"Why? Do you like someone?"

 

"No, I'm just wondering." Woohyun shifted uncomfortably under Dongwoo's playful stare. He could feel his cheeks heating and fought to control it. Dongwoo leaned in and whispered close to his ear.

 

"Is it Sungyeol?" Dongwoo guessed, winking as he pulled back, causing Woohyun to nearly snort.

 

"N-no!" He chocked out in between breathy laughs. Dongwoo raised his eyebrows before breaking out into giggles, too. "Never mind, I'll ask someone else. Anyway, let's move on, yeah?" Woohyun suggested after calming down. He had to admit it felt good to laugh. He couldn't recall the last time he had, but he was undoubtedly glad this time was with Dongwoo.

 

From across the field, Woohyun spotted a red cape out of the corner of his eye. He turned to get a good look, and sure enough, it was the commander. His pulse sped up when he noticed that the commander had been looking in their direction. It was hard to make out, but there was an evident scowl on his face just before he pivoted on his heels and blended into the sea of troops. Even though it was only for a hot second, Woohyun's stomach had already started to summersault. With a harsh slap to his cheeks, he knocked himself out of Kim Sunggyu's spell and refocused on training.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"You're picking up a lot faster than before. Maybe you really are cut out for using a long distance weapon." Dongwoo complimented as Woohyun placed the two spears onto the rack where he had found them. The first stars had just begun to peak out from behind the looming clouds when they decided to finish the day's lesson. So far, Woohyun had learned multiple stances and a few maneuvering techniques. He didn't learn how to actually attack, but Dongwoo had said he'd save that for another day.

 

By the time he had eaten his fill of dinner and snuck some water to wash his sweat stained face with, Woohyun was completely beat. He slunk into his shared tent and immediately crashed onto his bed, not caring that his spine had collided with the rock-hard mattress a little too hard. Sungyeol was nowhere to be seen, so Woohyun easily drifted off into a deep sleep…

 

Only to be rudely awakened a few hours later by his roommate's unnaturally loud snores. The night was pitch black, as the midnight breeze had extinguished the single candle that usually lit the tent. Sungyeol must have returned from the mess tent within the last thirty minutes since the murmurs from outside had subsided to barely whispers on the wind.

 

Woohyun rolled over and glared at the unconscious man a lying a few feet away, happily snoozing away. He could feel his eyes stinging from the lack of sleep, so he shut them and pulled blanket up to his neck, trying his best to drown out Sungyeol's snores. Unfortunately, Woohyun could hardly catch a wink of sleep between the on and off breathing fits. No wonder he was assigned this for punishment.

 

As the next morning rolled around, Woohyun wasn't even surprised to be greeted with questions like 'did you stay up all night?' and 'did someone punch both of your eyes in your sleep?' from his friends at the breakfast table. He placed his head on the table and sighed, not feeling any more rested than before he went to sleep. Dongwoo rubbed his back as he ate his meal, not bothering to say any words of sympathy. Everyone in the entire Sweftan army knew what it was like to spend a night in the same tent as Lee Sungyeol; no words were needed to express their deepest condolences.

 

"Do you want to rest for the day, maybe?" Dongwoo asked just as a preppy Sungyeol arrived and sat across the table. Woohyun mumbled an answer in agreement and straightened his back, lifting his head off of the wooden table. He couldn't help a yawn as his eyes glazed over with sleep.

 

"Wow, Woohyun, you look dead." Sungyeol stated before turning to look over his shoulder at the filled mess tent, eyes darting back and forth a few times before swinging his head back around to his friends, who were all giving him deadpanned looks. "Have you guys seen Myungsoo anywhere?" Sungyeol asked, ignoring the silent glare Woohyun was giving him.

 

"Myungsoo? No, I haven't seen him around lately." Howon said, looking up in thought for a while, as if recalling the last time he had seen the wind elemental. Dongwoo thought for a bit, too. The last time any of them had seen Myungsoo was the day Woohyun woke up. Ever since then, it was if he had fallen off the earth.

 

Sungyeol's chipper attitude faltered and he moved his gaze to the strange food in front of him. Woohyun blinked and suddenly felt bad for glaring at him. He had almost forgot that Sungyeol wasn't himself recently, like something was bothering him. Maybe it was because Myungsoo was missing.

 

"I'm sure he's just resting in his tent and skipping training. You know how that boy is." Dongwoo said, also sensing the worry coming from the dark mage. That didn't seem to satisfy him at all.

 

"Oh, today's the hunting trip. Maybe he'll show up." Howon brought up, waving a finger in the air. Sungyeol looked up suddenly.

 

"I-I'm not going…" Sungyeol mumbled. "If he does show up, tell him to find me once he comes back, okay?" He said before picking up his unfinished breakfast and quickly leaving the tent. The remaining three sat in silence for a while.

 

"Did you really have to bring the hunting trip up?" Dongwoo started, his voice unusually low. Howon looked alarmed before frowning.

 

"What? I thought he was getting over it." He said in defense. Woohyun watched on the side as the two older men bickered amongst themselves.

 

"If you know I wouldn't want to go on another trip, then why would you think Sungyeol would?" Dongwoo sighed. Howon ruffled his hair in frustration and averted his gaze.

 

"Do you think I could go on the hunting trip?" Woohyun asked suddenly. The two glanced over at him.

 

"Sure, I guess you could. It's a good way to practice with your spear, too. You'll be teamed up with a skilled light or fire elemental. Maybe you'll get paired with me." Howon said. Dongwoo nodded in agreement and Woohyun flashed a grin.

 

Hunting seemed interesting. Woohyun had never tried it before, but he had overheard the guards at Lunarai boast about their recent kills as they walked by his old house. Plus, if he went out and saw Myungsoo, it would be one less thing he'd have to worry about. Even though Sungyeol annoyed the living hell out of him last night, he was still his good friend. Maybe the trip would momentarily take his mind off of the commander, too.

 

"When does it start?"

 

"In the late afternoon, so you've got a lot of time to rest up now." Dongwoo said. "Ah, do you want to learn a few offensive moves before you go?"

 

After finishing up their breakfast, Woohyun and Dongwoo headed for the practice field again. Howon waved them off before making his way through the tents to the forge to resume his job. The field was a lot less packed than yesterday. Dongwoo said the troops were saving their energy for the hunt.

 

"Okay, since I only have one hand, demonstrating properly may be a little difficult for me." Dongwoo said, explaining that he would be forced to modify his own movements due to his single arm. Woohyun nodded and set up.

 

The sun was high overhead when they began, and they continued their training until it just about disappeared behind the horizon. Woohyun sunk down to the ground and let his spear fall off to the side while Dongwoo whipped the sweat off of his brow. There was no one on the field by the time they shuffled into the storage tent. Woohyun's muscles ached as he lifted the spear onto the rack, but he was set on going on the trip.

 

It would be dark when the party departed, so he'd have to pair up with a fire or light elemental. Howon offered to be his partner, but something inside of Woohyun wished he'd be paired up with someone else; a special someone.


	16. Chapter 16

Just before night fell upon the camp, Woohyun arrived at the far edge of the field where the hunting party gathered. Dongwoo and Sungyeol were nowhere to be found, but Woohyun quickly caught sight of Howon and soon joined him near a tree. Only a few troops were present, some who he had seen on the battlefield, some who had non-fighting jobs like Howon did, and the commander. 

 

Woohyun's heart sped up as his eyes traveled over to the commander's silhouette, which was partially illuminated by the final rays of sunset. He wasn't wearing his shoulder cape like usual, but it was undoubtedly him judging by his stoic expression and the way the troops made a circle around him, as if he couldn't be touched. 

 

"Is everyone ready? Form into groups of two or three, you know the drill." The commander shouted above the excited ruckus the troops were making. It seemed as if the army was excited for nearly anything if it wasn't training. Howon knocked Woohyun's arm lightly and caught his attention, giving a short nod to express his interest in pairing up. Woohyun felt dismal that he wouldn't get to pair with Sunggyu, but it was to be expected.

 

The two moved to the tree line and Howon set his hand ablaze, casting a fiery glow on the leafy path. Woohyun gazed deep into the shadows in front of him, mapping out a path through the trees and underbrush. The other teams distanced themselves before preparing to embark. Howon bent his knees and smirked, his eyes narrowing as he waited for the signal to start.

 

"Are you planning to sprint? Won't that scare the animals off?" Woohyun asked, staring down at the man in confusion. Howon didn't bother turning to look at him as he answered. 

 

"This is a competition, Woohyun. There's no time for walking if you want to win. Plus, there are no animals this close to a clearing, so we can run to a good spot without losing any game." 

 

Woohyun furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips. He was never into competitions and found no satisfaction in winning bragging rights. Howon's tongue shot out to graze his lips as he waited eagerly.

 

"Here are the rules, kid. We don't return until we catch a stag, even if it means staying out until sunrise. Don't even think about slowing me down, either, or I'm leaving you in the middle of the forest, you hear?" The usually calm and mature blacksmith said. Woohyun laughed nervously, seeing that Howon was dead serious. He knew for a fact that he'd end up getting stranded out there at one point; he just hoped it would be later than sooner.

 

"Woohyun." 

 

Woohyun turned to look over his shoulder at the low voice that called his name. The commander stood a few feet away, arms crossed. A tingle ran down Woohyun's spine as the commander took a step forward.

 

"Yes, sir?" He asked, unable to shake the tremble in his voice. He hated how nervous he got around the man.

 

"If you're going on the hunt, then you're coming with me." The commander ordered, giving no explanation. This pulled Howon out of his little world and he looked over.

 

"But what about me, then? I don't have anyone else to go with." Howon asked with disappointment evident in his tone as he trailed off. The commander thought for a bit before huffing.

 

"Fine. The three of us will go together. As long as I can keep watch on this one." He decided, settling with tagging along with Howon and Woohyun. 

 

"Why do you need to watch over me?" Woohyun couldn't help but ask. The commander turned his attention to the younger, his sharp eyes watching Woohyun carefully, as if probing his soul.

 

"There is one more Waileian encampment in this area. Knowing Howon, he won't spare a thought if you manage to slip away."

 

Woohyun blinked and tore his gaze away from the commander, instead focusing on the spear in his hands. He wasn't trusted. His grip tightened until his knuckles turned white and he couldn't bring himself to look back up when the commander announced the start of the hunt. Howon took off without waiting for the other two, becoming nothing but a faint dot of light dodging through the trees. 

 

Woohyun watched him grow farther and farther away until he was no longer in sight. He really wasn't joking when he said there was no time for stopping; without the commander by his side, Woohyun would have turned around and gone back to camp.

 

"That proves my point." The commander mumbled before signing. Out of the corner of his eye, Woohyun watched as a small flame burst into existence, lighting a small area around them. "Well then, shall we go?" The commander asked, but Woohyun could tell it was more of an order to get him moving. His heart pulsed in his head as the commander swept passed him gracefully, their shoulder brushing against each other as he took the lead.

 

They set off in the way Howon had dashed off to, walking briskly through the bushes. Woohyun understood why the commander had left his cape back at camp; even without it and the extra armor, twigs and branched snagged their clothing every few steps. It was a mystery how the blacksmith had managed to weave through it so easily.

 

Woohyun stayed close to the commander, almost in touching distance. The flame only covered so much ground; he'd have to stick to the other man like glue just to see where he was going. Secretly glancing over, Woohyun saw the commander's usual stern expression, but it looked less forced. It was if he had to retain his strict composure, but Woohyun could see how calm the other actually was. The soothing rush of an occasional breeze, sending the canopy above them into a frenzy, could make anyone feel a sense of calmness.

 

They had walked far enough into the forest that the field was no longer visible. Darkness crowded around them and not a single person was in sight—it was no wonder the commander didn't trust Woohyun with Howon. He could have easily made his escape from the Sweftan army if he wanted to. Seeing as how Woohyun had no intention of being left in the dark, the commander seemed to let his guard down.

 

"This way." The commander directed, taking them farther away from the rest of the teams. Other than that, hardly any words were exchanged. The rustling of leaves and the chirp of crickets buzzed loudly in Woohyun's ears; even the awkwardness between them was deafening. But Woohyun couldn't think of a single thing to say. How could he? His mind was all over the place since the commander had called his name earlier that night. He looked down as they came upon a large tree, its roots scattered over the ground, making it almost impossible to step around them.

 

Woohyun tried to avoid each root carefully, taking his time not to trip and twist his ankle. The last thing he needed was for the commander to have to carry him back to camp. He shuddered at the thought, even though he was sure he'd enjoy being that close to the man.

 

Just as he got over a particularly big root, the only flame illuminating their path went out suddenly. Woohyun gasped and the commander quickly hushed him, leaving them in a stunning silence once again. The commander pointed to a nearby rock and Woohyun strained his eyes to see what he was supposedly looking at. It took awhile for his vision to adjust to the lack of light, but he could barely make out what looked like a moving brown rock. With tusks.

 

"Is that a boar?" He whispered in surprise, daring to step through the tree roots blindly. The commander held an arm out, signaling for Woohyun to stay back.

 

"It's dangerous. Be ready to defend yourself if it charges." The commander whispered back, never looking away from the wild boar. Woohyun gulped and lifted his spear into a defensive position like how Dongwoo had taught him. The commander sneaked forward, staying on the balls of his feet as he made it around to the boar's backside. Drawing his sword slowly from his scabbard, he planted himself to the ground for one deadly swing.

 

The moonlight reflected on the boar's eyes, causing it to appear almost evil. Woohyun unconsciously shuffled back, holding his breath as those glowing eyes stared him straight in the face. Could animals see well in the dark? The commander raised his sword and silently cut it down with effortless skill. Woohyun felt sick as the boar's eyes drained of life and it slumped to the ground, unmoving.

 

The sound of his spear falling to the ground with a thud caught the commander's attention as he sheathed his sword.

 

"Do you think you can carry this?" The commander spoke up, nudging the boar's side with his foot as he formed a flame into his hand. Woohyun cautiously stepped forward, ducking down to poke the boar with his spear before finally deeming it dead. The commander bent down and lifted its legs up with a grunt until the carcass hung limply in the air.

 

"Actually, I don't think you'll be able to." He said with some trouble. Woohyun watched as the commander carefully swung the boar over his shoulder like some sort of scarf. His eye twitched when blood started to seep into the man's shirt, but said nothing. Even for the commander, a man with great strength, the boar seemed like a heavy load, as if it took all of his energy to stand tall with it around his neck. Woohyun knew he would have been knocked to the ground by its weight if he had attempted to carry it; it must have been at least two hundred pounds.

 

"Let's hope Howon finds someone to help him if he catches a stag." The commander said, almost in a joking manner. A smirk grazed his lips before disappearing into the shadows as he moved his flame out to show their path. Woohyun began treading the uncut woods in front of the commander, leading them through the trees slowly.

 

After ten minutes, they entered a small clearing around a natural mini waterfall. Woohyun, seeing as how the commander lagged further and further behind as the time passed, insisted on stopping for a rest. The other made no effort to reject the idea and immediately dropped the boar onto the long grass. The stars were shining down through the trees, shaping intricate patterns on the ground that illuminated their resting spot.

 

Woohyun sat down and leaned on the stump of a dead tree as the commander sat adjacent to him, setting his sword down next to the boar. He let out a heavy sigh and caught his breath, his muscles visibly relaxing. Woohyun watched him silently as he made the kindling flame in his palm bigger, almost so the orange hues reflected on his whole body. 

 

"Do you want to head back early, sir?" Woohyun asked upon noticing the beads of sweat dripping down the commander's neck.

 

"We've barely been out for an hour. Although, this boar is enough to feed us for tonight and tomorrow..." The commander trailed off in thought. "No, we should try to find Howon." He decided, and Woohyun nodded along.

 

They fell silent as the conversation lulled. Woohyun's heart hadn't slowed from its upbeat rhythm since the start of the evening when Howon sped off, leaving the two men alone. Its pounding in his chest felt even more prominent now since he could see the commander clearly in the light. Something inside of Woohyun's brain told him to speak up, it was the perfect opportunity to get to know the commander better, and so he opened his mouth without thinking.

 

"Why don't you trust me?"

 

Woohyun wanted to slap himself. What a horrible way of getting to know the other. Even though he understood exactly the reason the commander didn't trust him, the words slipped off his tongue before he could catch himself. The commander looked up and met his gaze, his eyes piercing, yet less so than usual. He thought for a bit while staring into Woohyun's eyes, causing a tingle to form in Woohyun's stomach.

 

"I do. I do trust you." He said, surprising the non-elemental beyond belief. "I could tell from the start that you had no intention of leaving, of treason. But, I can't just go off of my gut feeling, so I must take precaution."

 

Woohyun was left stunned, his jaw clenching tightly as he gulped. The commander let the flame die down a little, as if to shield his face with darkness.

 

"Do not get me wrong, one mistake will lead to big trouble, do you understand? Just because I say this now doesn't mean you can breathe easy." He said, and through the shadows, Woohyun could see the outlines of a smile. Despite his warning, Woohyun already felt his guard drop, as if he didn't have to hold back when he spoke with the commander. It wasn't that he hid anything to begin with, but it felt like he didn't have to continuously prove himself loyal to the Sweftan army and to Sunggyu.

 

"So, then, now since it's sharing time, why don't you tell me why you want to see the Rein River so badly? Sungyeol told me that you whisper about it in your sleep sometimes." The commander said, probably sensing the change in Woohyun.

 

"There's nothing much to say about it. My mother use to tell stories of it and how all magic originated from it. It was her dream to visit it, so after she passed, I thought that I would realize that dream for her." Woohyun explained, wondering if he really did whisper in his sleep. The commander nodded.

 

"And I promised that you'd be able to see it if you joined."

 

"Was that a lie?" Woohyun sighed. The other man shook his head.

 

"No, it seems that after we return to Sweft, we may be able to travel to Louix. If you're still alive by then, then I can take you up there."

 

Woohyun's eyes widened and a smile spread across his lips. He had almost forgotten how desperately he had wanted to see the great river; he had been too caught up in surviving each day of training to really think about it. If he could stick with this troop all the way until they made their trek to Louix, a small fishing village at the river's edge, then he would be able to see what his mother had always dreamed of while spending time with the commander. It almost seemed too perfect to come true.

 

Suddenly, through the still night air, came a blood-curling roar. Woohyun's head snapped backwards, eyes scanning the nearby trees frantically for the source of the sound. The commander hastily stood up and took his sword in hand. The roar sounded close by and Woohyun glanced to the boar's body. This animal, whatever it was, must have smelled the open wound that gushed blood. Not to mention that the commander's back was stained a bright red.

 

"Let's go." The commander ordered as he dashed in the direction the frightening noise had come from. Woohyun gasped as the fire began to dodge through the trees, leaving him behind. He quickly shot after the commander, holding his spear close to his body. Not long after, Woohyun had met up with the other when he stopped dead in his tracks. Wordlessly, they scanned the area, listening for any unusual sounds.

 

Another roar erupted, causing Woohyun's skin to jump, while the commander immediately began moving again. Woohyun couldn't believe they were heading towards the animal instead of far, far away from it. Could they kill it? What even was it that it would make such a horrible sound like that? Woohyun knew next to nothing when it came to wild animals, but he knew something that could roar like that was something that shouldn't be messed with—especially at night.

 

As they ran towards the sound, a flash of orange light flew through the trees before another. Footsteps other than their own could be heard, making the commander only run faster, skillfully jumping over roots and ducking under low branches all within a heartbeat. Woohyun fought to keep up until they reached the entrance of a cave carved into the base of a cliff. Another blast of fire and a scoff emitted from off to the side, revealing a breathless Howon.

 

"Howon?" Woohyun called, surprised to see him again. The blacksmith turned to smirk back at them while shooting an arc of fire into the darkness in front of him. A huge animal with brown fur, some of which was beginning to char off, snarled, backing up. Woohyun gasped as the animal stood up on two feet, towering high into the air and raising its claws to strike.

 

"Hello there, fellows. Care to lend a hand?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Woohyun, why don't you try to use your skills?" The commander suggested, calmly dodging the animal's vicious attacks. The animal, which Howon had called a bear, snarled as the commander's flames swept past its face. Woohyun gasped and continued to duck behind the tree he had unconsciously hid behind.

 

"Me? Fight that?" He nearly choked on his spit.

 

The commander jogged over and leaned up against the trunk of the tree, smirking down at Woohyun. Woohyun glanced around to see the bear busy fighting Howon before whipping his head back around to the commander.

 

"You can't be serious." He said, his voice cracking mid sentence. His grip on his spear tightened immensely, almost until his entire hand turned white from the strain, when the commander leaned in to the point where their noses were centimeters apart, eyes scanning his horror-stricken face.

 

"I think you can. Just find its weakness and plan ahead. If you can outsmart a bear, then you're one step closer to winning against a human." The commander said, smirking as he pulled away. Woohyun gulped as a lump in his dry throat formed.

 

"There's no way. Look at Howon! He can't even get a single attack in!" He said, pointing to the blacksmith who rolled away from the bear's jab at him. The commander sighed slightly and took him by the wrist, pulling him out from behind the tree and into the clearing, where they caught the bear's attention. Woohyun froze in fear, staring at the wild animal's eyes.

 

"I trust you, so you should trust me." The commander stated simply, causing Woohyun's heart to skip a beat, although he didn't know if it was from the commander or the slow footsteps the bear began taking in their direction. "Dongwoo taught you how to fight with a spear, correct? The bear will go after me since I smell like blood, giving you the perfect opportunity to attack."

 

"What?" Woohyun could barely utter a word before the commander took off, taking the animal's attention with him. The night was dark; the bear was probably relying on its sense of smell rather than its eyesight, so Woohyun slipped around to the back. What was the commander thinking? None of them were wearing armor; one wrong move meant possible death. The bear, as the commander had foretold, had completely disregarded the non elemental, and was chasing the smell of blood.

 

Woohyun gripped his spear and shifted into an offensive stance, eyeing the bear's back with caution. His head pulsed as he took a step forward, and then another. Just when the point of his weapon was barely out of reach from the tuffs of black fur, Woohyun halted in his spot. In front of him, he could see the commander blowing fire into the night sky and busying the bear from sensing Woohyun. If he could get around to the side, he'd be able to puncture a vital organ and finish it off with a single blow. Howon blasted fire straight into the bear's face, stunning it for a good few seconds.

 

It was now or never.

 

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, Woohyun sidestepped and shoved the spear into the bear with all of his might as sudden determination filled him. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as his spear kept sinking deeper and deeper into the animal's flesh until his arm came into contact with the wiry fur. The bear let out a horrible roar as it crashed to the ground, taking Woohyun's spear right out of his hands.

 

"Woohyun!" Howon came running over, clapping him on his shoulder. "You did it!" He gave a hearty laugh. Woohyun felt his whole body trembling as he stared at the unmoving bear in front of him as he cooled down from the high. Was it really that easy? Taking something's life? The commander stabbed his sword into the bear, right where the windpipe was sure to be, spraying blood in all direction. Woohyun held back the strong urge to throw up and backed away from the scene, leaving his spear lodged into the carcass.

 

"Hey, kid?" Howon watched him enter the trees with worry. He relit a small flame in his palm and trailed behind him. Woohyun gasped to catch his uneven breath as he collapsed to the ground, eyes glazing over with tears. He couldn't believe what he had just done. This was the first time he had killed anything and he hated it. He hated the rush of power, he hated the sudden lack of empathy, he hated the feeling of his spear digging into the heart of a living being, he hated it all. At that moment, it was if he lost all humanity and became nothing more than primitive insticts.

 

Howon placed a hand on Woohyun's back and rubbed up and down in a soothing pattern. Woohyun squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the bile rise into his throat. Was this how everyone felt in war? Filled with utter disgust in themselves? No, it was war after all, the men fighting in it had to be strong and heartless. Like monsters, they slashed down dozens of living beings all for the sake of their kingdom. It was terrifying. Woohyun couldn't hold it in any longer and heaved, letting his gut release as he sobbed freely.

 

He didn't want to become like them; he didn't want to become a monster. Howon continued to rub his back, giving it a firm pat once Woohyun had sat up after a while, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. Feeling the sickness dissipate, he refocused his blurry vision and pushed his thoughts to the back of his brain. 

 

"I'm fine." He lied through his teeth before Howon could ask. Standing up and harshly wiping the tears from his eyes, he slowly walked back to the clearing where the commander waited. Howon followed him, watching him carefully. Woohyun was thankful it had been Howon that had come to comfort him and not the commander. Surprisingly, he still cared about which side of him he showed to the man despite the circumstances.

 

"How are we going to carry this back?" The commander asked as they stopped near the bear again. Woohyun did everything in his power to keep his eyes away from the animal, instead holding strong eye contact with the commander's silhouette.

 

"Oh… I didn't think about that." Howon confessed sheepishly, rubbing a bit of blood off of his shirt when the commander glared at him. "Maybe we could cut it up and then bring it back that way?" He suggested. Woohyun shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. Despite the dark, the commander seemed to notice Woohyun's change in mood and shot down the idea.

 

"No, I think one of us should run to camp and get help." He said. "Howon, you go. I'll wait here with Woohyun."

 

"I can go." Woohyun struck up, not wanting to stay by the bear any longer. The commander sent him an unsure glance.

 

"Can you see well enough?" He asked. Woohyun nodded numbly and grabbed his spear, which the commander had thankfully pulled out of the carcass, and headed towards the tree line in the direction of camp. The commander fell silent and made no move to stop him.

 

Woohyun treaded into the forest without looking back. There was a pressure in his chest that never seemed to leave even when he tried to control his breathing. The commander and Howon's fires were no longer visible, distinguished by the shadows. Just as his thoughts began to grow louder than the hum of the insects around him, he walked into a small clearing. In the dark, he could make out the figure of a tree stump and realized he made it back to where he and the commander had rested.

 

He stepped around the stump and looked around for the boar, which they had left there on accident. Strangely, it was nowhere to be found, as if it had mysteriously come back to life and walked off. Blinking, Woohyun lifted his spear and scanned the area for any movement. If the boar was really dead, then something else must have dragged it away, and whatever that was could still be close by.

 

Woohyun walked on, using the starlight to navigate his way over the countless roots that littered the soil until he found the path he and the commander and made from earlier. Following the stomped grass and broken off tree branches, Woohyun slowly made his way back to the campgrounds. There was no sign of any other living creature—other than the crickets that were beginning to drive Woohyun insane—so he let his guard down again, returning to the thoughts that slowly crept back into his head.

 

As someone now in the Sweftan army, Woohyun was bound to fight on the battlefield. It was inevitable to start killing people by the mass. Since he was a non elemental, the commander would use him to his advantage. Like Sungyeol had said, he was their 'secret weapon.' But how could he? Just the thought of harming an animal made him sick; the entire idea of him slashing through a stream of Waileian knights one day seemed so far off and unrealistic. To kill an intelligent being, one with a family waiting for them, one with friends waiting for them to return to camp, that was something Woohyun could never do. He had been through loss and grief and never in a million years did he want to put someone else through that same feeling of helplessness.

 

But if they were monsters, then so was the commander. If anything, the commander was the worst of them all. And it meant that Woohyun was in love with a monster, but he was oddly fine with that.

 

Suddenly, the forest dispersed and Woohyun emerged onto the far side of the training field. The tents were bright and acted as a beacon to his tired feet, like a moth drawn to a flame. As he made his way through the field, he noticed a figure appear out of the trees from the corner of his eye. He looked over and squinted. The shadow stopped moving and turned to him, probably trying to see whom it was, as well. Woohyun took a few steps towards the man before he gasped.

 

"Myungsoo?" His voice was louder than expected. The man jogged over and stopped a few feet away. "Myungsoo, where have you been?" Woohyun asked as he reached talking distance. The wind elemental scoffed a bit and resumed walking to camp. Woohyun caught up and walked beside him.

 

"I was out looking for Moonsoo." He said matter-of-factly. Woohyun turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

 

"For three days?"

 

"I… I went to scout the Waileian camp nearby. Moonsoo had escaped during that battle, so I thought he would have taken shelter at the camp. I kept watch over it for a few days." Myungsoo said, twirling his daggers around.

 

"Is he dead? Moonsoo, I mean." Woohyun dared to ask. Knowing Myungsoo, he wouldn't have returned unless he had killed his target, but he needed to ask. Myungsoo shook his head and caught his blades, shoving them into the holsters on his belt.

 

"He wasn't at the camp. I don't know how, but he managed to get away… That bastard." Myungsoo frowned. Woohyun looked down. So Moonsoo was still alive. It was strange; even though he hated the thought of killing someone, he felt no remorse at the thought of Moonsoo being dead. He glanced over at Myungsoo's arm and saw the bandaged gash running down his arm. For some reason, though, the bandage looked fresh and not at all like he had worn it for three days. There was hardly any blood seeping through.

 

"Where is everyone else?" Myungsoo asked, snapping Woohyun out of his daze.

 

"Oh, the hunting parties went out tonight. Actually, the commander and Howon are waiting for me to get help because we caught a bear." Woohyun remembered why he had returned to camp and quickened his footsteps. Myungsoo whistled in surprise.

 

"A bear, huh? We'd be set for months. You better hurry and get help before other animals catch the scent of blood." He said, taking hold of Woohyun's wrist. With a push off on his toes, Myungsoo went flying forward, pulling Woohyun along.

 

"Whoa!" Woohyun shouted as the scenery around him blurred and the wind swept past his face like a cyclone. Myungsoo looked straight ahead and dashed through the field with minimal effort, using his magic to boost them forward with tremendous speed. Myungsoo dropped his arm once they reached the mess tent and pushed him in, waving a quick goodbye before disappearing into the night.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sungyeol jumped onto Woohyun's bed, not caring if he stepped on any of Woohyun's limbs in the process and shook him awake. The outside air was already starting to heat up, so it must have been late into the morning. Woohyun groaned and sat up, making sure to avoid being pounced on by the unusually hyper dark mage.

 

"He's back! Did you see? Myungsoo's back!"

 

"What?" Woohyun asked, rubbing his eyes. "Oh, I ran into him yesterday." He stifled a yawn. Sungyeol froze for a second before falling onto his knees, becoming eye level with the sleepy non elemental.

 

"You mean you saw him and didn't tell me?" He screamed in outrage. Woohyun winced and covered his ears. So this was the reason for Sungyeol's uncharacteristic behavior; he was worried about Myungsoo.

 

"I'm sorry. It was late at night and I didn't think much about it." Woohyun replied, trying to nudge Sungyeol off of his bed. After returning to camp, Woohyun still had to take the men who volunteered to help back to where the bear was and then lead them back to camp as they carried the carcass. By the time the day was done, he was beyond tired. The mage huffed loudly and pouted, picking up Sungjong from the bedside table.

 

"You're mean. Anyway, it's past wake up time and the troops are already practicing. Do you want to train your magic with me today?" He offered, standing up and holding a hand out. Woohyun took it and pulled himself up, feeling thankful that he didn't have to move his body much that day. Besides, he really didn't want to touch another spear for a while.


	18. Chapter 18

Life was calm for a few days. Woohyun trained with Sungyeol for the rest of the week, hardly ever sparing a glance at a spear, and found out his magic couldn't really do much else other than what they had already discovered. He could create a blue shield out of thin air, one that could change in size and shape, but that was it. The only thing the mage commented on was the fact that the outside of the barrier was a solid blue, but on the inside, Woohyun's perspective, the barrier was see-through. Transparent, if you would. It was an interesting discovery that could possibly come in handy in the future, but they couldn't think of the advantage of having it during their time in the magic tent.

 

After training each day, the two would retire to their shared tent and chat for a bit. Sometimes with Sungjong, but mainly their conversations were short, one worded answers thrown out into the night air as they stared up at the roof and waited for sleep to overcome them. A week soon passed with Sungyeol implemented as Woohyun's punishment, but he hardly felt the misery of his company like how he anticipated. The mage was amusing to talk to and was, surprisingly, a great listener.

 

One night after bath day, just as Woohyun felt his muscles relaxing into the stiff mattress of his bed, a whisper came from just outside the tent. It was the dead of night and Sungyeol was already snoring away, but the voices were loud enough to cause Woohyun's ears to perk—especially at the mention of his name.

 

"Woohyun's been training his magic all week and has proven to me his loyalty, I highly doubt the king would refuse to meet with him." A voice swept into the tent as two shadows loomed near the entrance. Woohyun closed his eyes when a faint breeze lifted the flaps of the tent open slightly, allowing whoever was outside to peak in. He frowned deeply as his mind registered the low voice that had spoken.

 

The commander sighed loudly when the man he was with brought up the fact that Woohyun was a Waileian born. The constant reassurance that Woohyun was loyal to the Sweftan army almost sounded like it went through one ear of the man and out the other. Woohyun guessed the unknown man was an informant of some sort. Maybe it was the same one who had delivered orders from the kingdom not so long ago.

 

But what were they planning? Woohyun couldn't keep up with their conversation. In fact, after mentioning the king, their words all jumbled together into background noise as Woohyun processed it in his mind, which was already tired from the day. 

 

Woohyun and the king of Sweft? Meeting? 

 

He couldn't wrap his brain around the idea. Meeting an upper class citizen like Hoya was strange enough for a man from the same social class as Woohyun, but meeting royalty? It was straight out of the question. But neither the commander nor the messenger treated the topic as a joke, making Woohyun's frown only deepen. 

 

"We'll speak of this another time. Once your troop finishes off the last Waileian camp around here, immediately return to the kingdom. Send a wind elemental to signal your return and my superior will meet you at the gate. There, she will decide if the non elemental is trust worthy." The man said, stepping away from the tent.

 

Woohyun didn't bother watching the shadows move across the fabric until they were no longer in sight. He heard their not so silent footsteps as they sauntered into the night. Woohyun let out a shaky breath, suddenly realizing how nervous and tense he had become. One pair of footsteps halted and Woohyun froze, thinking he had been heard. The silence drew out, causing Woohyun's heart to palpitate in his chest.

 

After a few horrifying seconds, the footsteps started again. Just as he was in the clear to relax, the wind died down and his ears caught the faint dejected whisper of the man outside.

 

"Woohyun's more than just his magic…"

 

He couldn't get much rest that night; his mind was too cluttered to fall into a daze. Woohyun thought he knew what was happening. They were going to train him to fight, get rid of the Waileian camp nearby, travel to Sweft, and then go the Rein River. That was the plan, right? So what was this talk—in secret between the commander and a messenger no less—of Woohyun meeting the king? For what reason? He knew that he was their secret weapon, but what were they going to do? Lock him up in a castle and use his power only when needed? He'd have to confront someone about it, but since the messenger was only temporary, the commander was the only one to go to.

 

Woohyun ended up not getting a wink of sleep that night. The longer he thought about it, the more paranoid he got. He thought he knew the commander's intentions, but that wasn't likely. He hardly knew the man, yet he trusted him with his life, but now he was starting to think that trust was misplaced.

 

"Good morning, Woohyun! Wake u- oh, you're already up." Sungyeol sat up in his bed, scratching his neck. Woohyun sighed and sat up as well, rubbing his sore eyes. "You look dead." Sungyeol commented, examining the state of Woohyun's face. In truth, he felt dead mentally, but he probably looked more so physically. He didn't have to look in a mirror to figure that his eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags sagging into his skin, looking as if someone punched him in the face.

 

"I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep much last night. Anyway, what are we doing today?" Woohyun asked, trying to change the topic. He needed to get his mind off of his anxieties. Sungyeol shrugged.

 

"Who knows? Sunggyu said he was waiting on a message from Sweft yesterday. If we're not training today, then maybe we're going to find the Waileian camp? Myungsoo said he found it, so getting there won't be a problem."

 

Woohyun visibly shuddered at the thought of wielding a spear again but quickly played it off when Sungyeol sent him a weird stare. The two walked out into the morning sun. The dawning sky was a light blue and the breeze that swayed the trees felt like ice on their skin, but they paid no mind to it. It was still early so most troops were either in their tents or eating breakfast, not yet preparing for another long day of training. Woohyun stretched and rolled his head, clearing his mind as he walked to the mess tent.

 

Inside the tent was mainly empty other than Howon working the kitchen and a few early rising troops. Sungyeol quickly grabbed his food and slid into a seat near the entrance, waiting for Woohyun before digging into his lightly charred bear slab. As much as he hated to admit, the bear meat tasted great. Woohyun could feel the fat melting in his mouth and his energy already rejuvenating just from one bite. Even after finishing his meal, his mouth craved for more, but most of the troops began to file in and take their food, giving him no chance for seconds.

 

"Good morning, both of you." Dongwoo appeared at their table, taking a seat next to Woohyun. The latter man glanced up to greet the newcomer, ignoring the fact that Dongwoo was shirtless. "I heard we're having out last training day before we set off to battle again." He said before stuffing his face with the fatty meats they had caught a week ago. Woohyun stared at him in surprise while Sungyeol hummed knowingly.

 

"Where did you hear that?" Woohyun asked. His gaze shifted to the mage across from him, who had called it earlier that day, before turning his attention back to Dongwoo as he opened his mouth.

 

"Sunggyu was talking to Howon outside the forge this morning. I was just passing by when he spoke about plans to move out."

 

Woohyun nodded in understanding. Howon was the first to know about their plans since he'd have to pack up the forge a long time in advance. The three we soon joined by Myungsoo and began chatting about other, less important things. As Woohyun and Sungyeol got up to bid their goodbyes and head to the magic tent, Dongwoo perked up and gulped down his food quickly, wiping his lips of oil haphazardly.

 

"Oh, by the way, Sunggyu mentioned something about you two. Maybe you should try and find him before training." He waved the two off after Woohyun sent a nod his way. Outside the tent, Sungyeol suggested they follow what Dongwoo said and look for the commander. Woohyun felt his chest constrict with an unusual feeling—something between wariness and thrill—at the idea of facing the commander again. It wasn't like he did anything wrong and was waiting for impending doom, but just the thought of standing near the man who gave meaning to the word affection, of love, was enough to get Woohyun riled up.

 

When had he become like this?

 

As they walked together around the camp in search of the man with the bright red cape, thoughts from last night started to pour back into Woohyun's mind. With each step he took closer to the commander's tent, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up one by one. Sungyeol was jabbering away next to him, occasionally poking or pinching at his arms, but Woohyun was too overwhelmed with this sense of dread that washed over him.

 

The commander was one big mystery. He had made his intentions clear with Woohyun the second he joined the army: for him to act as their secret weapon. However, as the days passed and Woohyun spent more time with him, it seemed as if those intentions were just for show. The commander had even said that he had laid his trust in Woohyun long before he admitted, saying it was something to do with keeping the troops suspicion-free. But why would they get suspicious in the first place? And just when Woohyun thought he had figured at least a fragment of the commander out, he goes and holds secret meetings with messengers regarding the king. So in the end, his intentions were never clear, always masked with hidden motives.

 

And for Woohyun to be wrapped up in the middle of it all? It was suffocating. But even if the commander were to sell him off to the province of Nier to a wealthy king, it wouldn't stop the emotions within him from bubbling into something more than infatuation. The urges to understand the mysterious man better were stronger than any doubt placed in Woohyun's mind.

 

But as they stopped in front of the commander's tent, Woohyun felt like fleeing the scene. If it weren't for Sungyeol standing right next to him, he would have done just that.

 

"Sunggyu? Are you in there?" The mage called into the tent, not daring to barge in like he would if it were Myungsoo's tent. There was silence and Woohyun almost let out a sigh of relief, but then a soft shuffling came from inside. Then came the sound of clanking armor as the man inside the tent walked over to the entrance. Woohyun's eyes went unfocused for a second before the loose fabric door flipped open and the commander appeared, standing tall in front of both of them.

 

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice low and demanding as he eyed Sungyeol. When his gaze slid over to Woohyun, the crease in his brow dissipated briefly before returning to its usual state.

 

"We heard you had business with us?" Sungyeol answered while Woohyun tried to peel his eyes off of the commander's face. In turn, the commander huffed and blindly pointed in Woohyun's direction.

 

"With that one. You can go, Sungyeol." He said. Sungyeol smiled goofily and nodded before walking off quickly, as if he had known it wasn't about him. Woohyun watched him go, unsure of what to do once he turned back to the commander. He gulped involuntarily as he felt the other's sharp eyes on him and he slowly faced him again. There it was again, the uneasy feeling welling up in his stomach. With a shaky voice, Woohyun met the commander's gaze and uttered a lowly,

 

"Hello."


	19. Chapter 19

"It's getting cloudy. Tomorrow might rain while we're preparing to engage in battle." The commander said suddenly, looking past Woohyun and up into the grey sky. The non elemental blinked away an oncoming blush and turned to gaze over his shoulder. 

 

"Would that be bad?" Woohyun asked slowly, eyeing the commander again. In turn, the armor-clad man raised an eyebrow at the question, his expression tinted with amusement as if the answer was obvious. Woohyun frowned a little and racked his brain while the commander stepped aside to let him into the tent.

 

"Oh, it would be bad. Fire elementals would be weakened because of the rain." Woohyun remembered. It had been a while since he had thought about that information. When there is moisture and lack of the sun, fire magic is dampened. Woohyun's power was special because he didn't rely off of the elements and could regenerate strength at any time. It was so normal to him that he forgot everyone else didn't work that way.

 

Once both men stood inside the spacious tent, the commander swept around the table in the middle and placed his finger down on a particular red dot. Woohyun walked over and scanned the rather detailed map for a second before meeting the commander's gaze.

 

"This is where we are." The commander spoke, tapping the parchment twice before making a small circle around the surrounding area. "Somewhere here is the Waileian camp we're up against. Because you aren't used to fighting yet, I need you to go along with the wind elementals and scout for any signs of the hideout instead of helping in the raid."

 

Woohyun tilted his head slightly and furrowed his eyebrows. "But I thought Myungsoo found the camp and was spying on them for a few days." This shocked the commander, as his eyes widened and he seemed at a loss for words for a few seconds.

 

"What do you mean?" He eventually asked and Woohyun's frown only deepened.

 

"Didn't he tell you? I thought he reported to you immediately. I don't know where it is, but I'm sure if you ask him he'll point it out." Woohyun said, studying the other's expression carefully. There was a sudden darkness in his eyes; one look at them sent fire through Woohyun's body. They stood in silence for a brief moment longer before the commander seemed to dismiss the thought, or at least move on to the main topic of why he had called Woohyun in.

 

"Since you'll be traveling through the forest in the dark, I thought I'd teach you a few ways to navigate without slowing everyone else down." He started, moving to Woohyun's side of the table. Woohyun felt the skin on his arms prickle at their proximity and tried his best not to show signs of how hard his heart thumped in his chest. He could see short, pale scars lining the commander's jaw, decorating it in a way that reminded Woohyun of falling stars.

 

The commander held up a hand and Woohyun pulled his gaze downward. In his palm was a slim piece of fabric. Woohyun guessed it was torn away from an old shirt by the way the edges were frayed. His eyes flickered up in confusion and met with the commander's usual smirk.

 

"I'll guide you through some sense strengthening exercises." He said, unaware of the effect his smirk was doing to Woohyun's heart. He instructed Woohyun to turn around and the other complied numbly. Internally, Woohyun was skittish as he processed the situation. He had already been hyperaware of the commander's presence, making his blood seem to run hotter through his veins, and now he had to lose his sense of sight?

 

This wasn't going to end well.

 

Woohyun watched as the cloth swirled around his neck and rose to eye level. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and felt the soft fabric press against his face, cutting off at the center of his cheeks. Suddenly his world was dunked into darkness except for the minimal light shining through his eyelids. It was if he was submerged deep underwater with only hints of distorted moonlight to guide him. There was rustling at the back of his head that he had only noticed now as the commander fastened the blindfold into a knot.

 

"Now," the commander said, "I'm going to lead you outside and you're going to have to follow me as I move around ahead of you." Woohyun gave an unsure nod, standing completely still as if a single movement would send the whole tent crashing down. There was a hand at his back suddenly, gentle and warm, and another one arrived at his shoulder. Woohyun picked up the faint in-and-out breaths of the commander at his side before the guiding hands began to put pressure, forcing Woohyun to take a blind step forward. And then another.

 

Soon he could feel the sun in his hair and the wind gliding over his face. The darkness in his vision had turned to an almost blinding white and he realized he must have been looking up. Immediately he caught sound of the troops training on the field and the sound of their own footsteps in the grass. Above the noise, Woohyun heard the commander mumble something, but couldn't quite make out what he said. He mulled over it for a second longer until something happened.

 

Woohyun sucked in a breath. All of a sudden something had felt different, but he couldn't tell what had happened exactly. He listened closely to the world around him, but all he could hear were the troops a little to his left, clattering their swords in rhythmic chaos. Nothing had changed there so he tuned in to his other senses. A wave of oil and meat wafted over from the mess tent that had overcome his sense of smell, but that wasn't the reason he felt strange. If only he could cheat and take a peak from under the blindfold.

 

"Hey, hurry up and follow." The commander said, but his voice seemed far away. Woohyun turned his head to where the man had once been, holding him at his side. And then he realized what had happened. Woohyun focused on the warm sensation of the commander's hand on his back, but all that remained was the feeling of something lost. Woohyun began to freeze up again knowing he was stranded by himself out in the open. His eyes moved around under his eyelids, hoping that something would give him a hint of his surroundings, but all he could see was the blinding light of the sky.

 

"Kid, focus on my voice and envision where you are." The commander's voice came again, not so far off this time. Woohyun turned to face the direction of the voice and took the commander's advice. He pictured the field in his mind, one he had walked through just moments ago with Sungyeol. He took a hesitant step forward, feeling his foot crumple a dry leaf. Again and again he took small steps in the direction of the voice, feeling carefully with his feet to make sure he wasn't going to trip on a rock and fall face first into the dirt. He shuddered and lifted his arms up in order to prevent that from happening.

 

"Look, I know we have all day, but you need to hurry it up a bit." The commander sighed and Woohyun realized he wasn't that far away. If he only took a few steps more he'd be in arms length. Knowing this, Woohyun started to move more quickly, taking bigger strides until—

 

"Whoa!" He let out involuntarily. Something hard had blocked his foot's path, causing him to stumble forward and into, if his prediction was correct, the commander. Woohyun banged his forehead against the metal sheet that covered his broad chest and let out a squeak of pain. He could feel the commander lose his footing for a moment before straightening up again.

 

"I look away for one second…" The commander said, almost in a scolding tone. Woohyun righted himself and made distance between them, offering a sheepish smile as an apology. The fire elemental sighed exasperatedly, and pulled Woohyun's hand into his armor-clad one. Woohyun felt his pulse quicken.

 

"Perhaps we should start with something easier." The commander said before nearly dragging the blind Woohyun back to his tent.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was pitch black in the forest ahead of him. Woohyun stood at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the signal to depart. Light elementals waited close by to see the scouts off, their light only casting more shades of dark blue into the void of trees. A single flame lit up as Woohyun turned back to the brightly lit camp. The commander stepped up followed by a robed figure that Woohyun quickly noticed was Sungyeol.

 

"Be careful out there. Stay as a group and make sure they don't hear you coming." The commander spoke before dismissing them off into the forest with a wave. Woohyun teamed up with another soldier, a wind elemental he had seen practicing in the magic tent a few times, and greeted him with a nod. The teams set out, dashing into the night one by one, using their superb swiftness to navigate through the trees. Woohyun braced himself as he and his partner got the signal to depart. They glanced at each other briefly before charging into the underbrush wordlessly. Before Woohyun fully absorbed himself with the task at hand, a single thought crossed his mind.

 

He hadn't seen Myungsoo at all that night.

 

The rush of wind as the two sliced through the forest sounded eerie. Woohyun's partner had held off of using his power to move faster much to Woohyun's appreciation. Even though he and the commander had spent until sunset teaching him how to navigate in the dark, Woohyun still felt himself trip several times as he ran.

 

They had gone back to the commander's tent and tried something simpler. Woohyun had sat down on the hard bed in the corner and was instructed to listen carefully for noises. A snap to his right, a click to his left, the sound of a book closing from above his head. It was an easy enough task to accomplish. But then they grew harder. The commander had made him walk around the tent, feeling his surroundings only momentarily before stepping forward, each time he went around something different blocked his path and he had to find his way around it. Now that he thought about it, leaving on this mission without getting the hang of losing a sense spelled out disaster and he was suddenly glad he was put through those trials. If he could have had this training earlier, then the hunting trip would have went a lot smoother for him.

 

Woohyun had started to get used to the dark, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light of the forest. His partner, whose name was Yoongi, was keeping things slow for him, but still ran as calmly as a morning breeze. After being separated from the other scouts for more than an hour, Woohyun had gotten used to traveling through uncharted territory, turning in whichever direction he wanted to. It was almost freeing.

 

Yoongi suddenly stopped in his tracks and Woohyun paused a moment later, turning back with confusion. "Wait here." Yoongi said before whisking up a nearby tree, disappearing into the canopy to probably get a bird's eye view of the area. Woohyun felt his chest constrict from the lack of oxygen and bent over to catch his breath. Gaining enough energy back, he looked up and watched for Yoongi to reappear, although it became evident that no matter how hard he strained his eyes, he wouldn't be able to see much of anything. So he did as he practiced and closed his eyes, listening for anything that might have caused Yoongi to stop so suddenly.

 

He heard the buzzing of crickets in the bushes at his feet and light coos of a nightingale, nothing out of the ordinary. But Yoongi still hadn't returned from the tree and he was beginning to grow worried. Woohyun frowned and pushed all of his focus into hearing. There was a snap at first, so faint that he almost mistook it for a cricket, but then it came again, almost like a crackle. Was it…a flame? He opened his eyes and stared down the direction the sound had come from. The trees didn't glow a bright orange like how he expected if there was a fire close by, but when he squinted, he could see a mist of color easing through the forest.

 

Yoongi dropped down from a low branch and startled Woohyun, causing him to let out a yelp. The wind elemental immediately hushed him, drawing a finger to his lips.

 

"We're close. I saw the others gathering over there." He pointed to the side. The two began to move. "Stay quiet." Yoongi added in soon after, in case Woohyun was going to yell again in surprise. Woohyun's brow creased as he fell into step behind Yoongi, but said nothing.

 

The first heads of the other scouts popped out through the trees and the two hurried forward to meet them. Almost all of the teams were waiting there going over a plan. None of them looked even remotely out of breath like Woohyun had been. They stepped into a circle and got caught up with the plan.

 

"You guys take to the right." One of them said, motioning to Woohyun and Yoongi. "Stay out of sight and away from any sources of light. Dark mages can and will see you if you get too close. All we are doing tonight is getting information, nothing else. Do not engage in battle." He said, as if rehearsed, and handed Yoongi a blank sheet of parchment and a charcoal stick. "Be careful—especially you." He tapped Woohyun on the shoulder lightly before sending them away.

 

Woohyun led them back out to the place where he had caught a sight of color, a yellow hue so transparent over the shadows that it was practically invisible, and Yoongi quickly scaled another tree. Woohyun watched him climb up and then reach a hand down. He blinked.

 

"Hurry up and get up here. Why does he favorite you when you're so dense?" Yoongi complained in a hushed whisper. Woohyun clasped his hand and pulled himself onto the branch supporting both of them.

 

"What do you mean? Who favors me?" He asked, standing up. But Yoongi silenced him and pulled out the parchment from earlier and began to sketch the surroundings. Woohyun tore his gaze from the man and looked around, and for a second, he was completely astonished by the view.

 

Just above a dozen or so more trees, there was a large clearing—almost larger than their own campground—filled with bright blue tents ranging in size but all much bigger than what Woohyun was used to. Near each tent was what looked like a steel basin holding an open fire, hot and bright enough to illuminate the entire façade of each tent and some patches of grass around them. There was a large structure in the middle of the camp built of wood from the forest that rounded at the top, hollowing into something that someone could stand in. A watchtower, Woohyun guessed. The size and sheer number of troops walking around outside was enough to send Woohyun's heart racing. They looked as if they'd been settled here for a long time, as if three or four small battalions joined together to make one massive army encampment in the name of Waileia. He swallowed dryly, feeling fear crawl up his legs and into his heart.

 

He knew from the start that this was a battle they were not meant to win.


	20. Chapter 20

Sweat rolled down his neck and bear chest as he emerged from the trees. The light elementals had long retired to bed when Woohyun returned to camp, letting the pitch blackness of night shroud his weary body instead of the warm welcome home he had hoped for. He couldn't tell how late it had become, but judging from the moon just barely hanging above the horizon, he knew he'd been scouting for hours. Yoongi and the others had raced back to camp once they had mapped out the entirety of the Waileian territory, leaving Woohyun to find his way by himself.

 

The night was cold on his glazed slick skin, but the running and tripping and dodging all night had gotten his temperature skyrocketing. He wore his shirt around his neck, tied securely by the sleeves. His breath was ragged and tore through his lungs and all he wished at that moment was to be born a wind elemental. His body was beginning to betray his orders and his feet began dragging their way across the open field, leaving long trails in the dewy grass.

 

As he approached the camp he called home, he noted the single light at the edge of the row. Woohyun figured it was the commander. With all the information they had gathered, it wasn't surprising to see someone still up processing it all. He wanted to check in, just to prove he survived the mission, but his legs didn't once alter course from the tent he shared with Sungyeol.

 

The dark mage was awake, to Woohyun's dismay, and immediately greeted him with a shout once he stepped through the entrance.

 

"Myungsoo's back!"

 

Woohyun blinked in shock as Sungyeol pointed vigorously at the slouched man on his bed. He smiled faintly as a response, but he couldn't hold the expression for long. The rock hard bed was calling for him.

 

"Where have you been?" Woohyun asked, undoing the knot at the back of his neck. Myungsoo raised his gaze slowly. His eyes were piercing as they scanned him up and down. Woohyun threw his moist shirt to the floor and waited for an answer, all the while eyeing the bed that Myungsoo was taking up.

 

"Not bad. If you ate a little more meat you'd be perfect." The wind elemental smirked suddenly before pushing himself off the mattress. Woohyun watched him in confusion for a while until it dawned on him what his comment was referring to. Hurriedly, Woohyun wrapped his arms around his bare torso, flushing a deep red. He opened his mouth to retort, but Myungsoo was quick to speak first.

 

"I was scouting. I had a hunch and went to check it out. It took a few days, but I did what was needed." He said, the smirk vanishing from his features. Woohyun furrowed his eyebrows, glancing over to Sungyeol to alaborate. Myungsoo's statement was quite vague. Sungyeol just shrugged in response, as if he didn't know much more than that, either.

 

"So how was your little mission? Heard some lights chatting about a certain someone tagging along." Myungsoo asked as Woohyun wrapped himself in a blanket. It was torn and worn but it did its job of keeping Myungsoo's eyes elsewhere. The dark mage turned to listen as well, a grin plastered to his lips.

 

"Yeah, how was it? I'm sure your play date with Sunggyu wasn't all for nothing."

 

Woohyun choked on his spit as Sungyeol giggled, amused by his reaction.

 

"Play—what?" He stammered, blinking incredulously at the mage. Myungsoo lifted a scarred eyebrow as he watched silently.

 

"Oh, well, I'm sure getting blindfolded and falling onto Commander Heartthrob was all for good purpose, right?"

 

Woohyun felt his cheeks heat at the same rate his heart was hammering in his chest. Was it from the snide comment or the running, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was damn tired.

 

"You saw that?"

 

Sungyeol smirked knowingly at him as he shifted on his bed. "Even Sungjong saw that."

 

Myungsoo's gaze fluttered over to Sungyeol at the mentioning of the late dark mage, but he kept his mouth in a neutral frown. A sigh escaped Woohyun as he sank down onto the mattress, his thoughts swimming in the desire to rest.

 

"Okay, enough. The mission went well and I got the workout of my life. I'm glad Myungsoo returned, but I'm really tired right now. We can catch up over breakfast." Woohyun said as he snuggled into the hard pillow. The two other men nodded, seeing as he was in no mood to be teased.

 

"Okay, night." Myungsoo mumbled, showing himself to the door. Sungyeol whined a bit but kept his voice low. Woohyun couldn't process their conversation much after that.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next morning came quicker than he would have liked. Before the birds chirped Sungyeol was already on him and shaking him awake. Woohyun frowned into his hands as he blocked the sun from his face. The tent had been propped open, letting a stream of light filter into the space.

 

"Hurry, hurry! Sunggyu is going to announce the plans before you're even out of bed." The mage said with a cheery tone. Woohyun rolled out of bed and immediately regretted it. Every muscle in his body was tense and sent signals of pain every time he moved. Sungyeol seemed to notice his sluggish movements and pulled him upright, causing a groan from Woohyun.

 

"Don't be a baby, it's just weakness leaving the body." Sungyeol tossed him his shirt. "Now hurry, I don't want to miss out on the battle plan."

 

Woohyun scowled at his chipper roommate as he got dressed. He could smell the stink of sweat on himself and his frown only grew deeper. Once he was ready, the two left the tent and crossed the field to the mess tent. Woohyun noted the vast space was filled with more troops than he had thought were living here. Curious, he questioned the mage.

 

"Did we get reinforcements?"

 

Sungyeol looked over at the crowd and shrugged.

 

"I don't know; I've been waiting for you to get up. I didn't hear anything last night." He said, returning his gaze back to the large tent in front of them. Woohyun scratched his bedhead and dismissed the thought.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The mess tent was rather empty when they arrived. Howon greeted both of them with a hunk of meat on each of their plates, not missing the chance to point out how disheveled Woohyun looked.

 

"Long night, huh? I hope you're ready for today." He said, waving them off to a nearby table. Sungyeol sang at the sight of food and dug into it like a wild animal. Although Woohyun's stomach roared, he only picked at the charred skin that adorned his plate.

 

"We aren't going into battle today...right?" He piped up, glancing back to Howon. Sungyeol didn't look up from his food once so he left the answer up to the man behind the counter.

 

"Late last night Sunggyu requested a new sword. I'm guessing if not today then sometime in the next two." The fire elemental said, lighting a small flame to heat up the stove. Woohyun felt his heart drop.

 

They couldn't win—there was no chance. Surely the commander knew that they lacked able bodies. He began to worry again, the feelings from last night rising in his throat like bile. He looked to his side, watching as Sungyeol munched on his food without a care in the world. If they went into battle carelessly and lost, what would happen to them? Would Sungyeol make it out alive? What would happen to Dongwoo, Yoongi, or the commander? Just the thought of losing these people—the people he had come to view as close friends—sent an unsettling chill through his stiff body.

 

"I need to go." Woohyun said, suddenly standing up from the wooden bench. He needed to confront the commander. Sungyeol dropped his utensils in wonder and watched as he left the tent.

 

"Did I miss something?" He asked Howon, clueless. Howon only matched his confusion and said nothing.

 

Outside the tent, Woohyun marched to the field. The commander's cape stood out brightly against the field full of metal. He passed the first line of troops and swiftly maneuvered past idle weapons. As he passed, he glanced around. There were definitely a lot more people than yesterday. Spotting the commander, he could see that he wore his usual stoic expression, but Woohyun noticed a hint of annoyance in the crease of his brows. His feet came to a halt, heart thumping in his ears.

 

What was he thinking? Why did he feel the need to speak his worries to the commander? Woohyun gulped. If anyone knew what they were doing, it was the commander. Yet, the way he stood with his chin lowered only fueled Woohyun's worry. The fire elemental was motionless in the busy field, armor-clad hands balled into fists at his side. Woohyun couldn’t tell if it was for holding in anger, like he often did, or not.

 

The breeze was dry and hot and left Woohyun breathless for a moment when the commander’s fiery eyes suddenly met his from across the sea of bodies. He swallowed hard, surprised that he was so easily seen. Troops swept between them but neither averted their gazes. Woohyun found himself slowly stepping forward, as if in a trance, and he saw that the commander was, too. This was his chance to speak his mind about the raid.

 

“Sir.” He greeted as the commander stopped inches from him. Woohyun lowered his gaze, knowing that staring too long would only set his heart on fire and right now wasn’t the time. The commander made no sound, as if expecting Woohyun to start off the conversation. Woohyun felt his eyes beaming down on him and cringed a bit, tongue-tied by his proximity.

 

“Uh…Sir, you’ve seen our reports from last night, right?” Woohyun eventually managed to squeak. The commander tilted his head ever so slightly, his face probably decorated with a smirk.

 

“Yes.” He said simply. Woohyun could feel his hands start to sweat and decided to hide them behind his back. Knowing the commander, he would be able to pick up exactly what Woohyun was feeling just by a single action, but he couldn’t help it.

 

“So you know that we’re lacking?” Woohyun asked, daring to raise his gaze. The commander’s eyes were probing, almost too deep and soulful, and Woohyun shrunk under his stare.

 

“Lacking? Have you not yet noticed the seven hundred new soldiers standing around us or are you too busy worrying over nothing?” The commander said, motioning to the men on either side of him. Woohyun looked around, eyes traveling over the heads of many men he hadn’t seen before.

 

“Well, I noticed a difference in our population, but are you sure we can win a raid against that huge encampment?” He said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The commander huffed, shaking his head a little and Woohyun thought he caught a hint of a grin on his lips.

 

"Regardless, we're going to see the plan through." The fire elemental said, regaining composure. Woohyun nodded, blinking up at him. The conversation lulled and the silence between them was quickly covered with the shouts and chatter of the new troops surrounding them. Woohyun kept his gaze locked with the other, hyperaware of his pulse beating like a drum throughout his entire body. The longer he stared, the faster his heart pumped and his mind swirled. The commander made no effort to speak, only intently watching the many emotions cross over Woohyun's face.

 

"So, uh, when is the raid?" Woohyun's low mumble was hardly indistinguishable from the noise, but the commander seemed to hear. He hesitated to respond and the air tensed with dread.

 

"Tonight." The commander eventually said, words curt. Woohyun felt his lungs contract as he gasped breathlessly. The commander stood straight and tall as his words settled in. "Don't worry about fighting, you're assigned watch over our camp." He added, as if it would serve as a comfort.

 

"I'm not worried about myself, I'm worried about losing people important to me." Woohyun said quickly, startling himself at the aggressive tone that slipped out of his mouth. The commander was stunned, lips slightly parted in a gawk. "If Dongwoo, Sungyeol, or you die, I don't know what I would do." Woohyun continued, furrowing his eyebrows at the thought of the troop returning without one of them. He looked to the ground, barely taking in the way the grass glowed a faint yellow from reflecting the sun.

 

"You'd miss me?" The commander's voice came, uncharacteristically soft, and Woohyun realized what he had confessed unknowingly. His cheeks began to heat up in a way he had become familiar with.

 

"The whole team would, sir! What would we do without you?" Woohyun tried to rephrase his sentence. The commander's lips quirked up and Woohyun could only groan internally in embarassment. "Anyway, you're probably really busy so I'll be leaving now." Woohyun blabbered, spinning on his heels and quickly darting away. He didn't dare glance back to the commander and sped back to his tent.

 

By the time he made it back into the safe confinements of his tent, Woohyun was beyond flustered. His heart palpitating in his chest hadn't calmed at all since his initial encounter with the commander and it didn't show any signs of stopping. He slammed his hands onto his heated cheeks, rubbing violently as he clicked his tongue.

 

"What's gotten into me?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Night had fallen sooner than he had liked. The rallying of troops outside was almost deafening. Woohyun sat in the mess tent, leaning over his food as he stared into space. The tent was empty except for him and Howon, who sat beside him. They didn't speak to each other as they listened to the battle cries and cheers, waiting until the moment the field went silent. Woohyun's food remained untouched once again as he waited, shoulder's tense.

 

The moon casted a silver light into the tent, turning everything in sight monochrome. Howon shifted in his seat, taking a swig of wine before breaking the silence between them.

 

"Did you greet them earlier?" He asked, and Woohyun guessed he was referring to Dongwoo and Sungyeol.

 

"I did, but only shortly. I didn't want them losing focus before the battle." He replied. Howon nodded in understanding. They both shut their mouths, jaws clenching tightly as the cheers began to die out. The commander's voice rang out, not understandable from the distance, but recognizable.

 

"It's time." Howon said dryly. In a swift movement, he lifted up his tankard and took another, longer swig. Woohyun closed his eyes, listening intently at the commander's voice until the very last word vanished into the night air. It may as well have been the last time he'd ever hear it so he let it echo in his mind. Howon stood up and Woohyun followed suit, picking up his full plate and returning it to the front counter before they headed out.

 

From across the field, Woohyun could see the last of the fire elemantals putting out their flames. This raid was to be carried out in complete darkness. He gulped, knowing that the commander would be at a disadvantage in the dark. Howon nudged his arm as he passed by, turning Woohyun's attention back to him. He motioned to the forge and the two began walking. With a last glance back to the forest's edge, he spied a single orange flame flickering in the shadows. The man holding it was encased by darkness, but Woohyun could feel that it was the commander, looking back at the camp for a second longer before disappearing into the foliage.

 

The forge was hot and humid, but the warmth was comforting in the dead of night. Howon took a seat on a stool by the workbench and Woohyun walked over to the once overflowing tables, now bare of any weapons. With a jump, he propped himself up on the surface and scanned around. Most of the tent had been emptied out by the new recruits; only a few scrapped swords and broken hilts remained. The mood was heavy, but the heat had managed to somewhat lift Woohyun's spirit.

 

He found himself reminiscing of when he first arrived. The commander had dragged him along to the forge to fix up his sword, the one he had been told he shattered. The golden hilt wasn't one left on the tables, but he could remember every detail etched into it. Woohyun remembered how everything was so foreign to him back then. But now he had friends and people who cared about him no longer for just his power. He fit in here. He almost couldn't remember life before this. A smile formed as he realized how lucky he was. If only they weren't in the middle of a war.

 

A sudden move from Howon snapped him out of his daze and he looked up. To his surprised, the man was cursing under his breath and fidgeting around.

 

"What's wrong?" Woohyun asked, dropping down from the table. Howon faced him, struck with horror. In his hands was a long, jet black sword. Woohyun noticed the way he gripped it until his knuckles turned white and frowned.

 

"You know how I said Sunggyu requested a better sword for today's raid?" Howon started, regaining his voice. Woohyun nodded, slowly inching forward to the man, wary of what he might say next.

 

"Well, this is it."


	21. Chapter 21

Woohyun jumped over a tree stump as he dashed through the forest. It hadn't been long, but the pitch black surroundings felt foreign to him again. He struggled for breath as he continued running, muscles shooting out pain with every step he took with the added weight of his armor. Strapped to his back was the long black sword, bumping and knocking his spine with all of its weight. But he didn't care.

 

His eyes had begun to adjust to the lack of light and he was thankful once again for the commander's lessons. Noticing the landmarks around him, Woohyun stepped with more confidence, able to recognize some unique trees from last night. He knew he was nearing the encampment.

 

But, what was he planning to do once he got there? He had left far behind the troops; by the time he arrived, a full out war would be raging. He couldn't just waltz onto the battlefield, could he? Woohyun gasped for air as he slowed to a halt, bending over to catch his breath. With both hands, he reached around and slipped the commander's sword from its sheath on his back, lowering it in front of him. The blade reflected the moonlight between the canopies, shining like a beacon in the dark world. Woohyun scanned the weapon and realized it was completely sacredite from hilt to tip. How could the commander have forgotten about a weapon like this?

 

Regaining breath, Woohyun returned the blade to his back and straightened up. The chirps of locus drowned his ears, making it hard to listen for any distant battle cries. He frowned, realizing he was wasting time standing idle. The commander could be in danger without this sword—he had to hurry. With a powerful lunge, the non elemental took off running again.

 

As he neared familiar bushes just off the camp, the shouts became audible. The screams were just as he remembered: blood curling, horrible choked up screams that signaled the end of life. Woohyun took a deep breath as he prepared himself. Howon's last words to him echoed in his mind.

 

"Try to remain undetected until you find Sunggyu. You're not the best at fighting and this sword won't do you much good without the skills to wield it. And most importantly, do not use your magic."

 

He nodded to himself as he remembered. No using his magic. If the Waileian army wins, there was a good change Woohyun would remain their hostage if he made his power known.

 

"I can do this. Get in and get out—simple." He mumbled, stretching his neck to either side. The forest had become recognizable, as he spent most of his time yesterday slipping through the shadows around here. Woohyun took caution in maneuvering closer to the vast open field, as his armor squeaked and groaned with every movement. He hadn't been too keen on wearing armor, but Howon insisted on it.

 

Fire flashed through the trees, it's bright orange hues painting the night air like a sunset. Woohyun watched in awe as the flames sparked into existence right before his eyes but he quickly shook himself out of it. Focus, he thought. With another nod to himself, he began to move again. The cries grew louder with every step he took and he shuddered. He needed to find the commander fast.

 

"Okay." He said, feeling his entire body jitter with adrenaline. Woohyun furrowed his eyebrows and ran straight for the clearing. In an instant, he was greeted with the sound of scraping metal as the war raged before him. Bodies littered the ground, some charred to a crisp, some ripped into shreds, and some still clinging to life after a mortal blow. Woohyun gasped as he watched a man he had seen at the mess tent fall lifeless to the mud soaked ground, blood trickling from his parted lips. He froze, his eyes stuck to the man like glue.

 

"Woohyun?" A voice called out. Woohyun jumped and took out the commander's sword, aiming it in the direction the voice came. "Whoa, whoa, it's just me." Sungyeol shouted, rushing over. Woohyun exhaled sharply and lowered his weapon. Sungyeol stopped beside him, scanning him up and down.

 

"You can't be here, you know! Sunggyu would be angry if you got hurt." The dark mage said in a hurry. Woohyun blinked a couple of times, surprised.

 

"I don't get it, aren't I your secret weapon? Why do I have to stay back at camp all the time?" He asked, gaze shifting away from the other. A Waileian soldier was approaching and Woohyun could see death in his eyes. Sungyeol noticed him too and flipped through his book.

 

"Because when we arrive at Sweft, the king won't—you know what? Let's talk about this another time." Sungyeol cut himself off, raising his robed hands to send a shockwave of decay through the air towards the enemy. Woohyun watched as the trampled grass withered into brown flakes as the spell was casted, making its way to the man with accelerating speed. The man shouted in pain as his legs gave way, falling to his knees.

 

"What did you do to him?" Woohyun asked, shocked by the man's agony. Sungyeol shrugged.

 

"Broke his legs. Now hurry up and get out of here." He said, voice free of any signs of remorse. Woohyun felt his heart stop beating for a hot second but he shook his head.

 

"No, I have to give this to the commander." He said, lifting the sword into view. Sungyeol looked at it, and then back to Woohyun.

 

"All right, stick close to me." Sungyeol sighed, flipping more pages in his book as he set off running. Woohyun followed close behind but was amazed at how fast the other could run while wearing a robe. Where they were standing originally was rather peaceful, Woohyun realized. The center of the battlefield was packed with clashing swords and flying elements. Sungyeol dodged a chunk of earth that hurtled his way and quickly cast out another spell, careful not to hit anyone on their side.

 

Woohyun searched the camp for any signs of the commander, hoping his red shoulder cape would come into view. Before he could scan more, a burly Waileian with the water crest marked on his shoulder came running at him, mace raised above his head. Woohyun gasped and readied his sword, feet planting to the ground like how he had been taught. Sungyeol turned back and noticed Woohyun's predicament, but he had already run too far ahead to help.

 

"Woohyun!" He shouted, opening Sungjong and ripping through the pages until a spell popped up. But the Waileian had already reached Woohyun, mace cracking down on the sword. Woohyun went stumbling back at the force, losing his balance. Before he could regain footing, the Waileian struck again, barely grazing Woohyun's armored torso, and he fell.

 

"Oof!" His butt hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him. The man was on top of him now, smirking as he raised his mace once again. Woohyun heard Sungyeol shout for him, but became occupied with another enemy. Woohyun's heart beat frantically as his eyes locked onto the mace, hovering dangerously above his head. He found strength in his arms to start shuffling backward on his elbows, but he knew he wouldn't get far. His throat contracted, holding in a scream of fear.

 

The man's smirk vanished and his eyes grew darker. Woohyun reached for the sword, but it had landed farther from him than he expected. Defenseless, Woohyun braced for impact. In a swift movement, the mace tore through the air, aiming for his skull. Woohyun reflexively brought his arms up, shutting his eyes tightly.

 

But the pain never set in.

 

He waited, eyebrows creased deeply. But the blow didn't connect even after a few seconds. Slowly, Woohyun peaked open his eyes. To his surprise, his entire body was encased in a familiar blue bubble. He sat up sharply, taking in the man's shocked expression from through the bubble.

 

"Oh no." He said, but his voice only came as a whisper. As quick as it had come, the magic shield dissipated, leaving Woohyun once again defenseless. But the Waileian made no effort to attack. Woohyun took this chance to inch out from underneath him and stand up, grabbing the sacredite sword. Sungyeol had finally reached him and began reciting a spell. The man followed Woohyun with his gaze, speechless. Woohyun looked to the man's hands and found them empty. Resting in pieces on the ground lay his mace, utterly destroyed.

 

Did I do that? Woohyun thought.

 

Sungyeol finished his spell and a wave of darkness spread across the ground, catching hold of a few corpses. Slowly, they began to stand, reanimated by Sungyeol's magic.

 

"Get him." He ordered, and the undead marched towards the Waileian. "Let's go." Sungyeol said, tugging at Woohyun's arm. The two set off again, not once looking back as the man let out a cry. Despite his heart racing, Woohyun's mind was unusually calm. Maybe this was an after effect of almost dying. Sungyeol rushed him forward wordlessly, and he noticed they were heading for one of the bright blue tents.

 

"I saw him go in there earlier." Sungyeol said, making sure that no other enemy soldiers would attack Woohyun. It was pure luck that only the one soldier seemed to see his magic, but he couldn't be sure. Slipping past more fighting men, they ran into the tent.

 

"Sir!" Woohyun called once he saw the commander backed into a corner by two men. His hands were on fire and were burning brightly. Woohyun saw no sword on him and began to worry again. Did he go into battle without a weapon? The men turned at the sound of Woohyun's voice and the commander took the opportunity to slam his fist onto one of the men's faces, charring the skin. The man screeched and stepped back, covering his bubbling skin.

 

"Don't you know not to look away from your opponent?" He said coldly, his natural smirk purposefully angering the Waileians. Woohyun ran over and tossed the sword into the air. The commander caught it with ease and moved to attack more aggressively. The sword lit on fire with the snap of his fingers and went sailing towards the men, slicing one on the arm which held a sword. Woohyun flinched as blood splattered the tent, some drops even landing on him.

 

Woohyun stepped back as the commander dodged their attacks seamlessly, almost as if he were dancing, and skillfully ended their lives with short, precise movements. Their bodies collapsed to the ground and the commander lowered his sword, turning his gaze to the newcomers.

 

"Do you ever get the feeling of déjà vu?" He asked, eyes landing on Woohyun.

 

"Huh?" Woohyun blinked, amazed at how calm the commander was after a close call like that. But he had just felt the same way not too long ago. Woohyun mulled over his question and remembered the time when they had first arrived at the new camp spot. The event was much like this one; the commander had gone into battle without the sword he requested and Woohyun had to run out and give it to him. He almost found it amusing how it happened twice.

 

"Anyway, since you're here, I need to ask a favor of you." The commander said, nodding to Sungyeol as well. "There's a tent on the other side of the field that holds important information from Waileia. I need it. I'll lure the chief officer out while you two gather as much as you can. Understood?"

 

"Yes, sir." Woohyun and Sungyeol said in unison.

 

"It doesn't matter if we win or lose this battle, as long as those documents are in my possession, we'll call it a victory." The commander said as he passed them, heading outside. "And you," he glanced over his shoulder to Woohyun, "don't get caught."

 

Without another word, he walked out of the tent, leaving Woohyun and Sungyeol. Woohyun felt his cheeks warm up, but quickly shook it off. Now wasn't the time to relish in the commander's comment towards his safety. Exiting the tent, Woohyun was pushed back into the chaos. Soldiers shot by in a flurry, dragging their elements with them. He shivered, remembering how hellish war was.

 

"Woohyun." Sungyeol tapped his shoulder. "Come on." He said, motioning for him to follow them through the string of tents. The commander ran ahead of them, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, not once faltering to slash down an enemy. Sungyeol and Woohyun quickly followed after him, hopping over the sheets of metal and debris.

 

Finally, they arrived at the targeted tent. The commander glanced back and gave them a curt nod before swooping through the fabric doors and loudly announcing his presence. Sungyeol pushed Woohyun off to the side, hidden for when the officers would rush out. From inside the tent came more shouting from strange voices and soon, like expected, the tent was emptied of its occupants. The commander strode out, sword playfully twirling around his body by the flick of his wrist, almost serving as a sign of power.

 

As he lured them farther out into the battlefield, he held a hand behind his back and snapped a flame into existence. Woohyun took that as the signal to move, and by the way Sungyeol shifted his stance, he seemed to agree. The two hastily entered the tent when they were sure the Waileians weren't looking, leaving the commander to deal with them for long enough. Sungyeol immediately started piling papers and books up on the table, leaving nothing forgotten. Woohyun watched as he removed his robe and laid it out next to the pile and began placing everything on top of it. After a second, the dark mage noticed Woohyun's idleness and urged him to help with a wide glare his way.

 

"How do I know if it's important?" Woohyun asked, dumbfounded as he searched around a small bookshelf. Everything in the tent was made of better materials than the ones at their own camp—things made to last rather than being makeshift for war. Sungyeol clicked his tongue but didn't answer. Woohyun took that as 'take everything you see' and began pulling out books related to Waileia before moving on to the writing desk in the corner. As he put the parchment scattered on the desk into a pile, a certain unfinished letter caught his eye. With a quick glance back to Sungyeol, Woohyun picked up the letter and skimmed over its contents.

 

Most of the beginning was all formalities, but a line along the middle of the paper sent Woohyun into shock.

 

**We have been notified that the Sweftan army has possession of a non elemental individual. Not only that, but our consultant speaks of a surprise attack on this camp. If we find out who the non elemental is during the attack and take him hostage, I'm sure your majesty the king would find him quite useful.**

 

Woohyun frowned. That had been the third time a mentioning of a king had come up within the past few days. What was the relation between him and the kings of either kingdom? There was something going on behind his back that he wasn't aware of and both sides had something to do with it. Woohyun reread the section again and again but he found no answers within it. Waileia had a consultant? Only a member of the Sweftan army would know of their plans to attack the camp, so would the consultant be a troop? There were so many questions racing through his mind that a headache had started to form.

 

"I'm done, let's hurry up and get out." Sungyeol said from behind him and Woohyun spun around. He nodded, folding the letter and tucking it into his pocket for later. Woohyun gathered up the rest of the materials and carried them over, meeting Sungyeol with his robe tied up into a large ball filled with documents. Together they headed out, scanning the area before sneaking out. The commander could be seen wreaking havoc upon the other tents, setting them ablaze as he passed by.

 

Sungyeol took the lead as they ran into the forest, ushering Woohyun to hurry up. Woohyun quickened his pace, but his mind was elsewhere. Could the consultant be Sungyeol? Who could he trust anymore? His mind was a mess. He knew he had to focus on the mission right now, but he couldn't shake the doubts forming.

 

They were deep in the forest at this point and Sungyeol held up his hand. Woohyun slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. It was nonstop running up until this point and he didn't know how much longer he could take it. Sungyeol dropped his robe, letting it hit the grassy floor with a thump. He straightened up his back, stretching his arms before opening Sungjong, which he had tucked safely under his shoulder.

 

"I need to go back out there. Stay here until you hear the battle end, although it might take until sunrise. I'll come back with Sunggyu the moment we win." Sungyeol ordered, clapping Woohyun on the shoulder before charging back the way they came. Once he was out of sight, Woohyun slouched, dropping to the ground.

 

What was going on anymore?


	22. Chapter 22

A faint light overcame Woohyun, rousing him from a sleep he didn't remember entering. Slowly, he opened his sleep-crusted eyes and blinked out onto the horizon. There were trees all around him, indicating that he was still in the forest, and the early morning sun shone down in scattered beams throughout the canopy. Woohyun's mind was groggy, a muddled mess, but he came to realize that his vision was shifting, rising up and down with a steady pace. He blinked in confusion, a crease forming on his forehead. It was if the ground was slowly rising up to meet him before receding away.

 

"Oh, you're awake?" A voice came, soft and low. Woohyun's eyes flickered up, surprised that his left arm felt the vibrations of the voice. A shadowed face loomed over him, cut and bloodied, but he immediately recognized who it was. A smile adorned the man's lips as he stared into Woohyun's widening eyes.

 

"Sir." Woohyun said, attempting to stand up. Suddenly, his body shook and he felt like he was falling, but a force kept him stable.

 

"Whoa! Stop struggling or I'll drop you." The commander said, regaining his grip on Woohyun's legs. The non elemental froze, realizing what was going on. He scanned his body, noticing how the commander's bare arms wrapped around his legs and shoulders in a way that felt comfortable for the both of them. Woohyun gulped dryly, feeling heat well up in his cheeks. He was being carried.

 

"But, sir—"

 

"Stay quiet for a while. It's been a long night for me, for all of us." The commander hushed him in a sturdy voice. Woohyun stared up at him, watching as his eyes pulled away from him to the troops ahead. He did the same, quickly noticing how everyone in sight slouched with exhaustion. It appeared that they were at the back of the group, slowly making their way home through the thick of the forest that no longer seemed so dark and intimidating. The commander himself seemed to be struggling to keep his shoulders squared. Woohyun immediately felt like a burden, but their proximity alone left his body weak; he really couldn't trust his legs to carry him.

 

With a small sigh, Woohyun reached up and wrapped his arms around the commander's neck in order to give them more stability. He could feel his cheeks burn at the small action but the commander paid no mind. If anything, his lips quirked up for a hot second before returning to their usual frown. If it were anyone else, they would have thought nothing had changed in his expression, but Woohyun had caught it. But there was no way the commander was enjoying this position, right?

 

Tossing the thought away, Woohyun recalled the night before.

 

He had been moved far enough from the fight so that all noise had been reduced to crickets and rolling wind. The sack Sungyeol had left with him sat idle on the grass, the dew soaking the thick fabric a dark grey. Woohyun, mostly in a state of shock, huddled up against the bark of a nearby tree, curling his legs into his chest to keep warm.

 

How long did he plan to stay here? Until sunrise?

 

Woohyun could have at least helped with getting the troops out safely but Sungyeol had insisted he stayed put. The eerie silence engulfed him and his memory seemed to fade from there. He must have fell asleep in that pathetic position until someone found him. And now he was here, clinging hopelessly to the man he might have had a crush on. No, definitely had a crush on. There was no denying that now.

 

"Did…" Woohyun was hesitant to ask, but the slow glance the commander offered him gave him the courage. "Did we win?" His voice came out husky, almost breathless. The commander's eyebrows raised as he pondered the question.

 

"We managed to collect valuable documents, but we suffered greatly." The commander seemed to be choosing his words carefully, dodging a straight answer. Woohyun felt his gut twist, deciphering his words. Scouting the troops ahead of them, it was obvious their numbers had dwindled. The commander wore a stoic face, but Woohyun could see the pain flickering in his eyes. His eyes were the easiest to read, despite being stone cold and intimidating, and Woohyun could tell he felt responsible for each and every casualty.

 

This was a win for Sweft, but not for Kim Sunggyu.

 

Falling into an uncomfortable silence, Woohyun adjusted the grip around the commander's neck and let himself be carried back to recognizable grounds.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"How'd it go? I expected you back last night." Howon was the first to greet him home. It hadn't been long since the army arrived back at camp but the commander had been quickly whisked away to deal with the new information, leaving Woohyun to trudge back to the forge.

 

"I got caught up in it, sorry."

 

Howon rolled his stiff neck, as if he had stayed up all night waiting for Woohyun, and pat him on the shoulder. The forge sat cooling, the smoke swirling around the fabric walls. Woohyun hated the smell.

 

"Did you manage to find Sunggyu in time?" Howon asked, twisting out his back as he spoke. Woohyun shrugged.

 

"It was a close call. It's a good thing you found the sword as early as you did." Woohyun winced at how emotionless his voice had sounded. Only now had he realized just how drained he was. Howon seemed to catch on, too, and let out a hearty laugh.

 

"All right, you get to bed. You don't look any better than the rest of them. I'll get filled in later tonight so you don't need to stick around." Howon offered a smile and gave a soft shove in the direction of the door. Woohyun gladly complied and, with a short wave, shuffled back to his tent.

 

Sungjong was laying on his bed when he arrived. Seeing the dark mage nowhere in sight, Woohyun frowned in confusion. He rid himself of his crusty, mud-soaked clothes and lifted Sungjong into his arms, flipping to a random page.

 

"Where is Sungyeol?" He felt his words melting into each other as his eyelids began to feel heavy. Being so close to bed was sucking the life out of him.

 

He went to go discuss the findings. I heard he saw some interesting letters.

 

Woohyun nodded, eyes shifting from the page to the hard mattress waiting for him. He was just about to mumble a short, automatic response until the words clicked in his brain.

 

"Wait, what kind of interesting letters did he find?" Woohyun suddenly blinked awake, memory jogged of the previous night. How could he forget?

 

I'm not sure. He mentioned an inside source, but that's impossible. Who would know of our plans?

 

Woohyun gulped. He felt sick to his stomach. There was a traitor in the Sweftan army—someone he likely saw every day—and not only that, but that person was leaking information about a non elemental, about him.

 

"I need to go." Woohyun said, snapping the book shut so sharply that the spine gave a moan. Without much thought, he threw on a pair of clean pants and struggled to find a shirt. When nothing turned up, Woohyun huffed and disregarded his bare top, opting to storm the commander's meeting shirtless rather than not going at all. The topic was about him, after all.

 

From the outside, the commander's tent was as hushed as ever, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Woohyun stepped forward, grazing the fabric with his hands until his fingers found the opening flaps. He could hear the slightest bit of movement underneath a chorus of low voices. Woohyun hesitated, finally thinking of the consequences of barging into a meeting. He would get a reprimanding no doubt, but what if he heard something meant only for the ears of high ranking soldiers and the commander brought out his fire?

 

He shuddered and moved away from the entrance. The curiosity was painful in his chest, almost so that it hurt to breathe. Why had the Waileians mentioned him? Why had they mentioned him to the king? He needed to know.

 

With a deep inhale, Woohyun closed his eyes and pushed his way into the tent. The room went dead. Opening his eyes, Woohyun prepared for the worst of glares, but all that greeted him were wide eyes and slacked jaws. Dongwoo, Sungyeol, and someone he had never seen before circled around the main table, frozen like statues. The commander stood in the middle, gaze traveling lower the longer he stared at Woohyun before averting his attention to the parchment in his hand.

 

"Why are you here?" The commander said, his tone coming off more as an order than a question. Woohyun felt an icy shiver run up his spine, quickly nestling into the hairs at the back of his neck.

 

"I…"

 

How was he supposed to confess that he had seen the documents? That he had knowledge of things he wasn't supposed to?

 

Sungyeol blinked for a few seconds before regaining his composure, slapping a hand over his tired face at the realization.

 

"He was there with me. He knows." He said with a sigh, peeking through his fingers to gage the commander's reaction. Woohyun was almost glad he didn't have to explain the situation himself, but the relief was short-lived.

 

"What?!" The unknown man piped up, his voice alone piercing the secrecy of their meeting. "He's not even Sweft-born yet you trust him with valuable information such as this?" The man was outraged, as if he took it as a personal offence.

 

"Be quiet or else I'll burn your tongue off." The commander said, voice failing to contain any heat, but the man promptly shut up. Woohyun stepped closer to the table, squeezing in between Dongwoo and Sungyeol. Before he could open his mouth to confirm his stance, the commander locked eyes with him. His expression was firm but exasperated, a mix of emotions Woohyun hadn't seen on him before.

 

"Do you feel safe?"

 

Woohyun was stunned. Out of all the things to ask, the commander had chosen that one. Everyone in the tent seemingly shared the same confusion and turned towards Woohyun for an answer.

 

"Uh…yes, sir."

 

"Really? Do you still feel safe knowing a traitor walks among you?" He asked, voice tinted with playfulness but his eyes testing. Woohyun frowned. He looked down, mindlessly scanning the huge map on the table as he thought.

 

"I don't know who I can trust anymore." He confessed, sorting through the chaos evident in his mind. "Who…who is relaying Waileia information about me? Why do they want me?" His voice cracked.

 

"Same reason why I wanted you: your power." The commander said simply, causing Woohyun to pale instantly.

 

Oh.

 

Right, that's why he had special attention; it was why he was tolerated. He was a non elemental. Although he had grown accustomed to this life and had forged friendships, he was still an outsider—someone only taken in for his power. A part of him wanted to forget that fact…A part of him already had. He had been a fool for thinking the commander was beginning to like him.

 

Woohyun wrapped his arms around his body, suddenly feeling defenseless without a shirt. He could feel the commander's stare on him, cold, ruthless eyes that bore holes into his skin. He felt like throwing up. Woohyun couldn't name the feeling that washed over his body, leaving his shoulder limp and heart throbbing like a wild boar had slammed into his ribcage at full force. It hurt.

 

If the commander could tell what his words had done, he didn't show it. Instead, he paced to the wall, back turned to the group of men as he pulled a separate file from a shelf.

 

"And as to who it is sneaking around…we've drawn up only one suspect."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The road was overgrown with weeds and underbrush, whatever patches of ground visible was made of fine red dirt that stuck to clothes like pollen. Woohyun trekked behind the rest of the caravan, too deep in thought to care about the dust kicking up into his face.

 

Promptly after that meeting, the army packed up and began their trip back to the main kingdom. The man previously unknown to Woohyun happened to be a messenger from the royal guard, there to deliver orders to return at once. After the great reveal of the possible culprit, the man departed not ten minutes later, returning to the castle with news of utter importance.

 

Woohyun hadn't even gotten the chance to fully wallow in self-pity before the commander had released more news. He felt numb, empty. What else was there to feel after an announcement like that?

 

"Once we arrive at Sweft, your lifestyle will change completely." The commander had said, effectively pulling Woohyun out of his staring contest with a map, "Orders have arrived that you will be serving under the king as his personal attendant."

 

Woohyun hadn't registered the meaning at first. He looked from one person to the next, searching for answers, but no one offered him an explanation until he landed on one of his closest friends, a man who helped him through so many things before, a man he cared about just as much as he knew he was cared for.

 

"We…will no longer be affiliated with you after we enter the kingdom, Woohyun." Dongwoo had said, a sound of sorrow and pity breaching his words.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Woohyun looked over the horizon, watching as the clouds passed by the setting sun, casting shadows of pink and purple into the sky. His eyes focused on a particular spot of land beneath the tallest mountain peak in view. At night, when the last of the natural light faded into nothing but stars, a city emerged from the rocks. Woohyun had seen it appear for the last two days, each time growing nearer and brighter.

 

The kingdom of Sweft.

 

The end of his journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: this is nowhere near finished yet, don't worry.


	23. Chapter 23

The walls were high and shining white. With enough sunlight, Woohyun was sure he'd go blind just by catching a bit of the stone walls in his peripheral vision. The kingdom of Sweft was exactly what he imagined: glorious, rich, and clean. Perhaps he had been desensitized to the filthy living habits from camp, but everyone he passed by seemed to glow, their clothes spotless—even in the poorest of districts. Woohyun sighed, suddenly feeling completely out of place.

 

There he was, A Waileian boy from a late city, marching through the crowded streets of Sweft as if one of their own. His face was lined with a thin sheet of dust and dirt from the three-day trek and his hair was a tangled mess, bangs long enough to cover his eyes. Before him stood the commander, his presence as looming and severe as ever, but Woohyun could tell he was excited to be home, just as everyone else was.

 

"It'll be a while before we reach the castle. Entering the main city will take a few hours of customs and interrogation." Dongwoo piped up from his side. Woohyun averted his gaze from the commander and tilted his head in question. "Since the war has increasingly taken its toll on the royal families, we are to be inspected before stepping foot into 'safe territory.' Too many spies running around these days." He said matter-of-factly, pulling on his shirt to air out his sweat.

 

Woohyun gave a huff. It was becoming more evident as the days went by that Sweft was starting to feel its grip on the war slipping. The destruction of the Waileian camps around the boarder were merely small victories. If even the nobles were aware of Waileia's use of spies, then the demand for people like Woohyun must have been out of the roof. Woohyun had imagined the rich would remain useless throughout the war, just like the ones he used to know in Lunarai.

 

The troop suddenly came to a halt and Woohyun noticed that they had arrived at the checkpoint between the common and the elite sections. The men began to chat idly with each other; Woohyun could make out the longing for reuniting with loved ones and cheers from a safe return.

 

If only he could relate.

 

"So, what are you planning to do from now on?" Woohyun asked, dropping his gaze to his fingers that were twisting the base of his shirt. Dongwoo hummed in thought and rolled his shoulders, as indicated by the slow groan of his armor.

 

"I think I'll live a calm life." He finally said, giving a small chuckle to a joke he didn't bother explaining. Woohyun paused his hands and looked up.

 

"Don't you like being on the battlefield, though?" He asked. Dongwoo was clearly giddy when it came to fighting, but perhaps it was just the adrenaline. Woohyun frowned.

 

"Well," Dongwoo started, casually rubbing the place his arm should have been, "I've had my fill of war. I'll settle down. Maybe I'll just teach at the knight's academy or something. I got to keep in shape somehow." He laughed his usual, loud laugh. Woohyun couldn't help a smile at the idea—Dongwoo was such a bright character, it was only fitting he lived out a long, happy life.

 

"I hope you'll live long." Woohyun sighed in content, imagining such a life. A blissful life free of hardship, something he'll never get to experience. Dongwoo stifled his laugh and craned his neck to see over the crowd. The troop was slowly entering a small plain building without windows. Woohyun could feel his heart begin to race in anticipation.

 

What would they ask him? He knew more than he should, so if he should slip up and release classified information, what would happen to him? He didn't want to think about it. Just getting to the other side of the checkpoint was all he needed to focus on.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Woohyun sat quietly in the hard metal chair. The room was cramped and uncomfortably hot, but he didn't dare shift positions. There were guards in all corners, watching with caution as the interrogator stepped through the door. Woohyun swallowed dryly, but he felt unusually calm.

 

"Nam Woohyun." A voice echoed around the room. Woohyun flinched, tucking his hands between his thighs as if it would protect him. The voice, which sounded as if it belonged to a woman, continued to list out his traits. "Non elemental. Waileian. Farmer boy. Spy."

 

Woohyun blinked and looked up for the first time, meeting the investigator's eyes. She was a lot older than her voice let on, but her skin was clean of wrinkles and her gaze shined with defiance. Her crimson hair was tied in a neat updo that reflected the light like fire.

 

"I'm not a spy." He said, watching helplessly as she scanned his expression thoroughly. The corner of her lips tilted up as she finally sat down, bringing herself eye-level.

 

"How do we know for sure?" She asked, although her smirk made it evident she already knew the answer. Woohyun felt weird, as if he were being read like an open book with no way of closing it.

 

"I… I ran into battle to assist the commander. Twice." He mumbled, gripping harder at his thighs. The investigator watched him closely for a long time, as if studying every thought that ran through his mind. The silence drew out, turning Woohyun's guts to mush in the process. Before he could work up the courage to say anything more, the investigator gave a sharp, hearty laugh, throwing her head back from the sudden high. Woohyun was taken aback. The woman quickly folded her arms onto the table and met his gaze, eyes still flickering with amusement.

 

"Like that'll serve as proof. Listen kid, if I was anyone else, you wouldn't be here right now." She leaned in close, lips puckered as she whispered, "You're lucky that Sunggyu of yours is such a kiss-up."

 

"W-what?" Woohyun was at a loss. He could only blink as she guffawed again.

 

"You'll have to make up a better excuse when the higher-ups ask. Sunggyu only has so much power here. He can't protect you every single time." She smirked, rising from her seat as she motioned for the guards to lead him out. Immediately, Woohyun was tugged up from his chair and pushed out the door before he could process what had happened.

 

"Tell him 'hi' for me?" She called from her place at the doorframe, waving him off. Woohyun offered a short wave back, but was dragged towards the group of troops waiting to march forward before he could do much else.

 

He soon rejoined with Dongwoo and Howon, who were idly adjusting their armor. The men greeted him with surprise.

 

"Thought you'd at least stay in there for an hour." The chef piped up, tearing his eyes from Woohyun back to cleaning off a smudge of dirt that Woohyun was pretty sure had been on his armor since the day he'd met them. Dongwoo nodded, pulling Woohyun in by the neck until they were face to face.

 

"You're not hurt anywhere? She didn't burn you or anything?"

 

Woohyun almost laughed at how worried the elder sounded. But the time for laughing had long passed.

 

"No, I'm fine. Do you know her?" He couldn't help but ask. She seemed so intimidating and ruthless at first and he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. She reminded him of someone else. Dongwoo released him and ruffled a hand through his shaggy hair.

 

"I don't think we have the right to give away the secret." He said, a smile returning to his lips. Howon scoffed from the side but said nothing. Woohyun blinked, furrowing his brows as he watched the two. A secret?

 

"Well never mind, now that you're here, we can move out." Dongwoo slung a sack over his good shoulder and began to jog up to the front of the troop. Woohyun found his bag at Howon's feet and quickly fell into step behind him as they reported to the commander.

 

With full entrance to the city, Woohyun had been deemed 'ally to the palace' and was posted at the front of the troop as they marched to stand before the king. He didn't quite know what that title meant, but Sungyeol and Sungjong reassured him it was important.

 

At last they stood at the doors to the castle. Guards clad in white metal lined every inch of the perimeter. Woohyun glanced around, first at the guards, then up to the towering citadel, and then back down to the commander, who looked as calm and composed as ever.

 

"Um, sir…" Woohyun managed to speak up. He still felt uneasy every time the commander as so much as turned in his direction. "What will I be doing from now on?" The commander found his gaze and held it strong for a few seconds, his jaw pulled taught.

 

"As I said, you'll be working as a royal guard under his majesty himself. This is where you forget about us." He spoke as refined as he had on the night he first announced it, but something flashed through his eyes, something like sadness.

 

"But…what about our deal?" Woohyun asked. He couldn't forget the reason he had eagerly left Lunarai all those months ago no matter all that had happened.

 

"If I join your army, will I get to see the Rein river?" Woohyun asked slowly, turning his attention to Sungyeol. "If there is nothing left for me here, then I can't just stay until my body rots away."

 

The commander paused, listening to the wind as he recalled. He blinked slowly, as if remembering the short time they had spent together. But then his expression hardened and his gaze fell short of Woohyun's.

 

"Things changed."

 

Without another word, the commander faced ahead and signaled for the guards to open the doors. Woohyun stared at his back, watching as his blemished armor mixed into the shining white. He searched for the red cape as the commander vanished from sight, but there were no traces of red in the sea of troops. Woohyun stood still, even as Sungyeol stepped passed him, followed by Dongwoo and half a dozen other men.

 

There wasn't much left for him to hope for, seeing as everything he was promised had been so suddenly and so fiercely taken away from him.

 

A tap on his shoulder brought him back to reality. Woohyun looked over to meet the rare face of Myungsoo. He hadn't been around very often in recent days, but Woohyun could tell his attitude had changed. The small, forgiving smile that glazed his features served as a comfort. Woohyun took a step forward, and then another. Soon, the two of them marched through the doors without looking back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Your royal highness, commander Kim Sunggyu and the non elemental, have requested their presence."

 

The king stood from his throne, beckoning the guards to open the door. Silently, the white crested doors drew open, revealing the commander and Woohyun at the end of the hall. Woohyun caught his breath as his eyes laid upon the shadowed figure of the king. The commander briskly stepped in, footsteps audible on the marble floors. Woohyun followed suit, forcing his attention to the floor rather than the godlike man before them.

 

"Nam Woohyun, was it?" A rough voice echoed through the hall. The hairs on the back of Woohyun's neck bristled.

 

"Y-yes, sire."

 

There was a pause. Woohyun lifted his head, a thousand worries flooding his mind. Had he offended him already?

 

"You look worse than I imagined." A light, airy chuckle reached his ears and Woohyun gasped. He couldn't help staring up at the king as he sat back in his throne. "Come closer." He ordered, and no sooner than he had, the commander pushed Woohyun forward.

 

"It is an honor to meet you." Woohyun announced as he approached, bowing deeply. Now that he was closer, he was able to make out the man's appearance. He was old, yet his hair was long and swept back neatly. His eyes were sagged and tired, but they focused on Woohyun with a brilliant youthful curiosity.

 

"I've heard a lot about you. Your power is fascinating and precious. It is with good will that I let you live in the palace. Someone like you could easily fall into the wrong hands if we aren't careful."

 

Woohyun forced a smile and inclined his head, hoping it would seem modest.

 

"Thank you, sire. But what can I do here? I'm not strong enough to protect you, much less myself." He said. The king smiled a toothy grin.

 

"You are stronger than you know. I trust you can master your power within time. But for now, you will be shown to your chambers where they will attend to your every accommodation." He motioned for a maid to collect his sack and show him out. "And for you, commander Kim, you've done well."

 

Woohyun bowed once more before following the maid down the hall. The corridor was a pristine white, decorated with red flags that had similar symbols to the one the commander had on his cape. The walls were lined with sky-high windows that peaked over the walls of the citadel, viewing the city from a breathtaking angle.

 

Before the they were out of earshot, Woohyun heard the king's gruff voice ask a favor of the commander, but he couldn't quite catch what it was. A pain shot through his chest, knowing well that he may never see the commander—or anyone else for that matter—ever again. The maid remained silent in front of him, keeping her attention on the heavy sack in her arms. Woohyun sighed.

 

He stopped in his tracks and turned towards a window. The kingdom was rich with color and life despite the war. He could see passed the houses and over the wall that surrounded the border. The forest swayed in the wind, but the treetops looked like nothing more than shrubbery from the distance.

 

It's just like him, Woohyun thought, so far from everything he had once known.


	24. Chapter 24

He was tired. Tired in more of a mental state than physical, but still equally drained. Sunggyu dropped his shoulder plates onto the floor as he trudged into the old, dusty room that he had once called his own. His arms swung loosely at his side, easing off the tension that had built up over the years of wearing armor. He was finally home. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his back, and he could finally manage to inhale more than a mangled breath.

 

Even though the decorations aligning the walls were clad with dust, the bed remained spotless and neat. Sunggyu let a smile touch his cracked lips, suddenly reminded of the meaning of "home." Sunghwa must have come by to tidy the important things up before he arrived. 

 

He perched himself on the edge of the mattress, careful not to dirty the sheets, and slowly removed the rest of his armor one piece at a time. The metal clanked to the ground and soon enough he was left in his tunic and boots. The slightly chilled air nipped at his bare skin, prompting him to prepare for a much needed bath. The troops didn't get a chance to bathe before making the journey back to the kingdom, part of him wished he had had the time to offer them at least that. But none of that mattered now. He was back home—they all were.

   
After the night to themselves, work would start up again as strict and professional as ever. Sunggyu made sure he was going to use this break for his own needs, the first order of business being an hour-long bath to purge his skin of the mud and blood that had absorbed into his pores.

 

Waiting at the door was a young maid. Sunggyu watched her bow and carefully take his fresh clothes into her arms as he emerged from his room. Her face was round, with dark brown freckles that matched her hair. She seemed new to the palace. By the way her lips remained closed throughout the entire walk to the bathroom, it was clear she from Nier and unaccustomed to the language.

 

"Thank you." Sunggyu said, throwing a towel over his shoulder as they arrived at the bath. The maid bowed, placed his clothes onto the counter, and left without a word. With the door closed, Sunggyu began to undress. The bathroom took up a large portion of the hallway. Since it was used by all the castle staff, a large pool-like bath was constructed and divided in half for privacy. Sunggyu stepped in front of the changing room mirrors and took in his appearance. His eyes were caved in and lined with deep bags. He sighed and pulled his bangs back, for the first time noticing that a piece of his eyebrow had been singed off by enemy fire.

 

He was a mess.

 

"Great." He muttered, tearing his eyes away from his reflection. The steam of the bath caught his attention, and like a magnet, pulled his tired and aching body to the water. He sighed in content as the water washed over him. Scrubbing the grime out of his hair with one hand, Sunggyu reached for the package of soap that had been prepared, and set on cleansing his body to the first time in months. Sunghwa had been kind to him this time, he was sure to thank her for pulling a few strings.

 

After nearly an hour of scrubbing, Sunggyu was spotless. The water was still warm, so he opted for soaking in it until in ran cold. He sat against the wall and leaned back, the back of his neck resting on the cool tile. With his eyes closed, he let his mind drift for a while.

 

He recounted the night they had raided Lunarai, the loud, unanimous screams that once sounded like music to him—a man with nothing to live for and all to give. He went stiff remembering how he used to be. But he had changed, as he came to realize. The change was gradual, slow and unnoticed. 

 

It didn't happen when he had first discovered the poor farmer boy with non elemental magic—like Sungyeol liked to tease—but when the poor farmer boy taught him that there was more to life than just following orders. 

 

Sunggyu sighed, splashing his cooling face with water. Ever since…he died, he'd been acting like a clay pawn on Sweft's chess board; an emotionless soldier who couldn't care less if each day were his last. Yet one day, Sunggyu had his sense knocked back into him through a few simple words.

 

"Don't hurt him, please." 

 

It had been the first time someone had spoken against his orders, his will, in ages. Sunggyu had been confused, hurt, yet intrigued all at the same time. Those few words began the change. And ultimately, the change began with Woohyun.

 

The water had run cold. Sunggyu let a smile graze his lips as he dried himself off and changed into warm, neatly pressed clothing. He combed his damp hair with his fingers, forming it into something slightly presentable before stepping outside. His stomach growled just as he exited the bathroom, suddenly reminding him how long it had been since his last meal. He shook his head and began to walk back to his room.

 

"Kim Sunggyu," a playful voice called from over his shoulder. He stopped in his tracks, lifting his head towards the voice that he had almost forgotten. "You arrive home, take a shower, and immediately head to bed? Typical." 

 

Sunggyu turned to face the woman with an exaggerated sigh, earning a laugh from the other. The woman was perched against the wall, the evening sun highlighting her features with a fiery red light. Her lips pulled taut into a lopsided smirk as their eyes met.

 

"Sunghwa." Sunggyu said, beginning to step towards her slim figure. Sunghwa, in turn, pushed herself off the wall and spread her arms into a faux curtsey.

 

"Long time no see, commander." She laughed as the two collided into an embrace. "You almost look like an adult now."

 

"Shut up." Sunggyu mumbled from the crook of her neck. She smelled nice, just like how he remembered, like home. He felt her shoulders tense as she moved to push him back. They were as muscular and strong as his, although he hated to admit so. When they parted, Sunghwa composed her expression as she gave Sunggyu a quick look up and down, then smirked widely.

 

"So, let's hear about that new recruit, lover boy. Seems like he's got you pretty whipped." She giggled. Sunggyu was stunned. He could feel the blood rush up hot into his cheeks. He turned away with a huff.

 

"What are you talking about? I'm his commander, how could I be whipped?" He began to walk back to his room briskly as Sunghwa continued to giggle. What was wrong with him suddenly? Sunggyu hadn't felt flustered before, especially while thinking of Woohyun. He sighed, knowing that he'd have to answer her eventually.

 

Their footsteps echoed in the hallway, accompanied by the soft songs of passing birds. Sunghwa hurried to catch up and circled an arm around Sunggyu's neck. Although he protested with a huff, he made no effort to shake her off.

 

"Why are you being like this? Aren't you glad to see me after all these months?" Sunghwa poked Sunggyu's head with a slim finger. He frowned and quickened his pace, hoping to release himself from her grip.

 

"No, because instead of catching up with me like a good older sister should, you immediately try to invade my personal matters."  
 

Sunghwa feigned shock, clutching a hand to her chest as Sunggyu pulled away. In turn, he rolled his eyes at his sister's antics. That was one thing he didn't miss. 

 

"Personal matters my..." Sunghwa muttered under her breath. When she saw Sunggyu's room up ahead, she marched forward and swung Sunggyu around by the collar of his tunic. His expression flashed with surprise, but quickly contorted into a frown. 

 

"As your only family, I have every right to be worried about your love life. Especially after Sungjo-"

 

"Don't." Sunggyu's voice came sudden and dark. The air went still for a brief moment. He could feel his heart skip a beat--for eternity, it seemed--at the sound of that name. Of /his/ name. Sunghwa showed no remorse, instead, her face went flat. 

 

"That's exactly why I'm meddling with your affairs. Look what's become of you." She placed a hand on his cheek. His skin was still warm from the bath. Sunghwa felt her expression soften as Sunggyu reached up and cupped his hand over her's. Their eyes locked in an unspoken conversation.

 

"If that Woohyun kid does anything suspicious, let me know. He's from Waileia, I don't trust him." She spoke only loud enough for them to hear. Sunggyu sighed and gently slid her hand off. 

 

"I trust him."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Woohyun sat alone in his room, staring blankly at the glass chandelier above him. The light streaming in from the open curtains reflected on the glass, casting small rainbows along the walls. He sat in silence, listening to nothing but his shallow breathing and the thrum of his heart. Eventually, he tore his gaze off of the chandelier and scanned the room. 

 

The living quarters the king had assigned him was as lavish as the rest of the castle. The walls were a brilliant white, with small antiquities lining the shelves and dressers provided for his stay. His bed was bigger than the tent he had slept in for the past month, and was covered by a veil that hung from the ceiling. At the far corner, a mirror adorned with golden vines caught his attention. 

 

Woohyun stood up from his spot on the ground, where he had sunken to his knees as soon as the maid left the room, and walked towards the mirror until he was face to face with himself. He took in his appearance one detail at a time. His looked as how he remembered: shaggy, worthless, weak. His gaze traveled up to the thin scar on his cheek, just shy from his eye. He recalled the soft touch of the commander's fingers as they brushed over his skin.

 

"I think that cut will leave a scar deep enough to remind you how stupid you've been."

 

Woohyun felt a smile bubble up, but it was a lonesome, pitiful smile. 

 

Yes, he remembered how stupid he'd been, and how foolish he was to think the commander cared about him--even a little bit. Woohyun was nothing but a passing face, another soldier in the crowd to the commander...so why did he hope for more? Why did he have to see those sharp eyes and fall so deeply under their spell? Why did he want to know more about Kim Sunggyu, not the commander?

 

Woohyun's face dropped, along with his heart. He sunk back to the floor, turning his back to the wall. His gaze found the chandelier again, watching as each piece rotated and swayed with the breeze. It was a relaxing sight, and it almost served as a comfort to Woohyun's scrambled emotions. He tucked his knees to his chest, holding himself close as he shrunk back in his spot. 

 

First there was a hitch at his throat, one that held his breath down and pulled his jaw taut. And then a sob, soon followed by the tears that had welled up inside him since the day his mother passed away. Woohyun choked out another sob as his whole reality came crashing down on him all at once. Tears streaked down his face and onto his neck, threatening to dampen his shirt. 

 

There was a sudden knock at the door, but he ignored it. Woohyun buried his face in his hands, letting everything pour out as he wailed. The knocking stopped, and after a second, the handle on the door started to twist. Woohyun shifted away from the door, bending over himself as if to hide his current state. 

 

The door swung open slowly as he stifled another sob, but made no effort to steady his shaking body. The person walked into the room silently, closing the door loud enough for Woohyun to hear. Footsteps on the carpeted floor began to grow stronger as the person neared. Woohyun sniffed and wiped his face with a sleeve. 

 

He could feel the presence of the other right behind him. Clothes rustled and soon a warm hand was placed on his back. That single touch set Woohyun's mind blank. The warmth transferred into his body, spreading like wildfire through his veins. He whimpered at the thought of who it might be, and squeezed his eyes shut. There was a moment of stillness, as if both were afraid to move, before someone started to speak.

 

"...Woohyun."

 

Woohyun's eyes shot open. The man slumped down next to him in a swift movement. Woohyun felt a rush of newfound emotions and spun around into the arms of the other. He clutched at his shirt, resting his forehead on the other's shoulder as he began to cry again. An arm wrapped around his quaking body, strong and reassuring.

 

"I'm so scared, Dongwoo. What am I going to do?" Woohyun's voice was broken and husky. More tears streamed out in confusion, fear, and loss. Dongwoo said nothing but continued to hold him tightly. "When will I see everyone again?" He choked out before raising his head to look at Dongwoo through glassy eyes.

 

"When will I see him again?"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"So, why are you getting all dolled up?" Sunghwa piped up as she entered Sunggyu's room bright and early the next morning. Sunggyu shifted his gaze away from the plates of armor he was adjusting to his sister. He frowned.

 

"Since I spoke with the higher ups before we arrived, I will be visiting the 'ally of the palace' meeting in Woohyun's place." 

 

Sunghwa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

 

"'I'm not whipped', he says." She bit her lip to hold in a chuckle as he sent her a glare. "Okay, well, have fun. The king ordered me to work the post again, so I won't be in the palace for a while." 

 

Sunggyu nodded as he went back to focusing on his armor. He had to look at the top of his game for this meeting. It wasn't everyday that the chamberlain and the royal guard captain would agree to let a Waileian into the palace without a thorough interrogation. 

 

As Sunghwa waved goodbye and sauntered off, Sunggyu stood up and squared his shoulders. He glanced at his appearance in the mirror briefly before heading out. He smirked to himself as he strode down the hall, a new, bright yellow cape billowed in his wake. 


End file.
